To quote a famous 80’s rock song, “All we need is just a little patience.”
Especially now in 2020, during this uncertain time of this worldwide health crisis, patience is now just not just a luxury in all of our eyes and lives, but unfortunately now, a viable commodity that everybody needs to survive in society.
For us as believers, you would think that it would be the norm to live a viable, patient, and calm life. Unfortunately, we (especially now), don’t have that “perfect” world, or that “perfect” life that we can attain on our own to fall back on.
So because of that, I want so see what biblically how patience can be as beneficial to all of us, but especially I want to direct this blog today to believers in Jesus that may do feel weary and tired and are just trying to make it through to the other side of this global pandemic.
I get it, we are in a world right now that pretty much almost everyone has not or ever experienced a near worldwide shutdown due to an invisible to the naked eye virus that has the ability to do so much damage physically and mentally. So, what I want to do as a form of encouragement is to see this from a biblical angle of enlightenment and hope that our father and savior has this in the bag.
God gives us a sense of PEACE in the patience.
The first fact that we must realize is that God is our protector from the storm, and even when we are in that storm, he will always grant us peace in the process to handle the situation, no matter how big it is with calmness.
The story that I am pretty sure that most of us will remember from the bible that gives us the best illustration of this will be Jesus calming the storm, which is found in Mark 4:35-38(NLT):
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
. The storm hits…. SHEER PANIC!! From everyone on the boat there was fear, uncertainty and of course panic…except for one person, Jesus Christ. He responds in verses 39-40(NLT):
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Not having faith is one of the biggest obstacles to having a patient walk, which can lead to a blessed life. Sometimes we just need to stop, stop moving and listen to what God wants to say through him to up. By just stopping, and listening to the peace in his voice.
I get it, I know we are not always going to have the “perfect” Christian life where all is good and we read the bible all day so we can make sure that the clear cut voice of the holy spirit is just waiting for the right direction he wants us to go every day. Look, if that life was for me and I could afford to, I could walk away from my job and study 24/7 in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, mostly everyone I know have hectic lives, balancing work, school, stuff to do around the home and then some. Patience can be a luxury for most people in this world. However, the benefits of having even just a little time a day to see what God wants to speak to his children about does involve even the tiniest form of faith in being still and patient to listen to our father even for a moment.
Let me just use myself as an example and what I do. For me, the best time to have the most patience is at night when everything is winding down, and it is me and God. That is to me the best time personally for me to just read the word, reflect and react to what God is speaking to me at that particular time.
Maybe you are reading this and for yourself, it is when you get up, or during break or lunch time at work or even right before dinner. All I have to say is great!!! If that is the time to stop everything, give God your patience and to listen to him, that is the greatest gift you can give to your heavenly father. Even that we see it as a little small time notched out of our busy schedule to have patience to listen to what he is saying, God’s blessing towards that has the same power as compared to taking a week long retreat to spend time with God. Both timeframes are blessed equally in the eyes of God. As long as God is spending time with his children no matter what times of panic or peace is surrounding the situation, his children will be blessed in the process.
Especially today in the midst of what is going on, a sense of impatience and hecticness is occurring, so that is why I am a strong proponent, even if it is just 5 minutes a day, just to stop and have faith that being patient in the process, will allow God to take care of his children regarding what is going on in our lives. He wants us to have the best life possible and without stress and worry. Being patient in his plans and road he has for our lives will lift any worry or burden away from our shoulders.