“Some of your greatest blessings come with patience.”
– Warren Wiersbe
Being Still
The psalmist saw the importance of being patient so he wrote, “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices” (Psalm 37:7)! It does bother us doesn’t it when we see the ungodly prosper and the godly not. He was content with leaving things up to God, just as the Apostle Paul was who wrote, “never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Rom 12:19).
Being Brave
King David, before he sat on the throne, had to run for his life as King Saul sought to kill him, so he experienced at least a few “valleys of the shadow of death,” but he could still say, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). Since God is for you and God is with you (Rom 8:31; Heb 13:5), what do we have to fear, so say with me, “in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me” (Psalm 56:11)
Being Blessed
Now, we reach the point where we see the blessings that come from being still or patient and being brave during our waiting for the Lord. Isaiah the Prophet tells us that “the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him” (Isaiah 30:18). There is no rush. God’s timetable is moving quite smoothly, even if we don’t think it’s moving fast enough.
Conclusion
Remember that God was patient with us, but certainly, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2nd Pet 3:9), so let us “count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him” (2nd Pet 3:16).
by Jack Wellman
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