...And We Wait - 1 Cor 13 & Psalm 40

I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 40:1

Love is patient, love is kind.

1 Corinthians 13:4

Patience.

Everybody wants it - but very few have it.

The virtue of patience by definition is: the ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay; quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence.

 I don't know about you - but I certainly wouldn't describe myself as someone with the ability to "suppress annoyance when confronted with delay". 

I can be rather easily annoyed when things don't fall exactly as I expect them to fall. 

I often will press forward even when all signs are pointing to me to delay or wait. 

I am a "doer". I am not a "wait-around-and-see-er". And my patience - my ability to suppress my annoyance - generally comes out like a two-year-old waiting for a promised toy - kind of whiny and loud.   

But what we see in today's two passages is that God wants us to display patience.

 Patience is equated to love and being godly.

Patience is being ready for the Lord - but not demanding anything of Him.

Patience is knowing that the Lord will fulfill His promises - but in His time.

All of this sounds wonderful - until you have to be patient and wait for God to move.

When we are in the middle of a struggle - even when it is a good struggle toward a completed class, a new athletic accomplishment, a new job or some other fantastic new opportunity - we often want God to shove us through the struggle so that we can get to the "good stuff".

We don't like having to take the necessary steps or waiting the appropriate amount of time to receive the gift of His blessing. We want to move and to move immediately.

But God requires us to wait - to be patient - because in being patient we are displaying the trust and faith we have in Our Heavenly Father.

Our ability to be patient - even in the most mundane and most trying of circumstances -  demonstrates our willingness to put our lives in the hands of the Creator. 

Paul wrote that love is patient - not because we need to wait for love but because love in its purest form is filled with faith and trust. Faith and trust are the foundation of our ability to display patience even in the worst of days.

Let's try together to be patient and wait upon the Lord. We just might be surprised by the wonderful  blessing He has for us - one we may have missed if we pressed through or tried to do it our own ways. 

Be patient. Wait upon the Lord.

It's not easy - but it is totally worth it.

Psalm 40 

1 Corinthians 13

Quote

Patience is the companion of wisdom.  

St. Augustine

Question

What are you waiting for that is requiring an extra helping of patience?