Strength in patience
I'm not a fan of waiting for the train. I try and line up my arrival at the train station with the arrival of the train as closely as possible so I don't have to wait too long. Although, I like to arrive about a minute early, which is far better than being a minute late.
When I head to the checkouts at the supermarket, I spend a good 10 seconds looking for the shorter line before joining one. The right choice could save 5 minutes!
Am I impatient? I think I have patience - I just don't like to exercise it too much if I don't need to!
But sometimes waiting, patiently, is a good workout for our soul. In Psalm 27, King David writes:
Psalm 27:1
1The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
David has confidence in the Lord.
Psalm 27:13
13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
He trusts him and he does not fear what the world brings. However, sometimes David, like all of us, could be a little impatient when waiting for the Lord to act when we feel we need him to. When that happens, here is our reminder and encouragement:
Psalm 27:14
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
David recognises that God is trustworthy - we can count on him. But often we need to be patient as we wait. And this patience, this waiting, strengthens us. It is a workout. Often we think building strength requires us to "go, go, go". But here, David is saying that being patient builds spiritual strength.
When we patiently wait on God, we are building strength in our trust in him. We are aligning ourselves more and more to his timetable rather than our own.
When we find ourselves being impatient with God's next move, or are finding it difficult to wait for and answer to our prayers, we can stop for 5 minutes and take the time to reset our thinking. Take the time to remind ourselves, as David does, that God is on our side. Take the time to renew our confidence in him. Take the time to remember all the work he has done in our lives and how faithful he is to us.
5 minutes of reflection is a strength exercise for our faith. Patience is a strength exercise for our soul.
Have you had your workout today?
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
In the busy-ness of life, help me to take the time to workout for my faith. Help me to refresh my thinking, remembering all you have done for me. Give me patience as I wait on you, trust as I listen to you, and hope as I remember your promises to me.
Amen.