“But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness.” Gal 5:22 (Amplified)
“Daddy, give me that book”, demanded my toddler son. I was busy changing his baby sister’s nappy, so I responded, “Hold on, let me finish what I am doing and I will attend to you”. However, rather than listen to me, he persisted with his demand. When it got so much that I realised that I just might run mad if I didn’t give him his book, I gave in. I quickly left what I was doing and handed him the book. However, if I had thought that giving him the book would shut him up and buy me some peace, I soon realised that I was mistaken as he further demanded for a second, then third and finally a fourth book. He then asked me to help him hold the pile of books because they were too heavy for him and he kept dropping them. By the time this episode washed over, I was already fuming at just how selfish children can be, only for God to nudge me with the chastening words “So you now see the need for patience.”
This week, we will be exploring the subject of patience. However, to kick-start the discussion let me just take you back to the above episode and its spiritual implications for us as Christians. Have you ever complained about God’s slowness in attending to your need or answering your prayers? Could it be that by not kow-towing to your demands God was trying to teach you a lesson on the importance of patience? Could it be His way of gently reminding you that the world does not revolve around you? Could it be God urging you to shift your focus off of yourself and look at the bigger picture? By making you wait for an answer, could it be God’s way of telling you to grow up and stop being spiritually childish and drop the selfishness that characterises spiritual immaturity? Regard these questions as food for thought.
So, if you have been hammering on the gates of heaven and have ceaselessly been demanding to be heard but have so far drawn a blank, could it be God’s way of telling you to wake up and smell the coffee or that you are asking for the wrong thing? Could it be patience that you really need? As you will soon discover as we progress with this study, patience, in all its ramifications, is a necessary requirement for walking with God and receiving from Him.
As my toddler son quickly discovered, it is not always good to have your way all of the time. Therefore, by urging us to be patient, God could be working on our behalf to help us to get the best He has in mind for us as His children or He could be acting to avert the disaster that the devil would no doubt love to bring into our lives. Hence, the only prayer that you can really make that will change the situation is “Lord, give me patience”, and by the way, please leave out the “I want it now” bit, for patience is not something that you develop in a day. It takes time, and depending on how well your spiritual walk is, it might even take a longer time. However, like any journey, it starts with the first step.
Prayer:
Lord, give me patience, and please, let the process start today. Give me a hearing ear and an understanding heart. Help me to not blow my top either at you or my fellow men. Amen