Thoughts for the Day

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the desolate pit,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.

Happy are those who make
the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after false gods.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

In today's world patience is often seen as a weakness, and many people are not prepared to wait for the things they want, whether this is waiting for a traffic light to change, or someone in the queue ahead of them at the supermarket to move out of the way, or to be able to save enough money to purchase something without borrowing the money. But in our bible patience is a much more positive word. It is more akin to 'endurance', 'steadfastness', 'constancy', and 'perseverance' which are considered to be good character traits, and traits that we often have to learn over a period of time.

A quick reflection on God's people in the Bible will show the importance of patience. In Psalm 40, above, we see that David has been in great trouble, that he appealed to God to help him, and that God has saved him. However, near the end of the Psalm (Psalm 40) he is back in trouble again, and begging God to help him. Sometimes though God doesn't answer as quickly and people wait for years before He acts, as we see in the story of Sarai and Abram, who wait for a child until they are elderly. Or Job who goes through terrible traumas before God intervenes. Of course we should also recognise that God has been patient with His people, and that He is still patient with us today, especially when we let Him down.

Patience is one of the attributes of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5.22-23) which we need it to continue God's work on earth, and it's one that I, like many, struggle with.

God of all patience,
we thank You for Your understanding
that we are such frail Christians.
Give us the strength to be patient
with ourselves,
with others,
with practical issues,
with organisations,
and with You.
May we learn to rest on
Your strength
and learn to be at peace.
Amen.