I wasn’t in the service yesterday, but I’m pretty sure that Terry’s message was a reminder that “love is patient”. Life is full of SO many situations that require us to be patient, from waiting in traffic, to waiting for a relationship to be restored, to waiting for a life-saving operation.
Sometimes we have to wait for a long time, and sometimes our patience only has to last a little while. David uses Psalm 38 to tell about a time when he was patient, and it contains a PERFECT lesson on patience for me this morning. David was sick, exhausted and in pain. His friends and family had abandoned him. To top it all off, his enemies were trying to kill him and planning their crime in a public way.
How did David respond?
But I am deaf to all their threats. I am silent before them as one who cannot speak. I choose to hear nothing, and I make no reply. For I am waiting for you, O Lord. You must answer for me, O Lord my God. Psalm 38:13-15 (NLT)
David chose to ignore them. He chose not to respond to their threats in any way except one. He prayed and waited on God to answer for him. This is part of what it means to wait on the Lord. It is part of what it means to trust the Lord. Do I really believe He is there? Do I really believe He cares? Is He really all-knowing and all-powerful? Is perfect justice part of His character? Am I praying for His guidance? Am I seeking it in His Word?
God does not always want us to remain patient in the midst of persecution. But, He does want us to wait on Him before we act. Sometimes it is a short wait or an easy wait. But often times, it is a long, difficult one.
God, give me the patience to wait on You! I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief (Mark 9:24)!
