Patience
In this past season of intentionally slowing down, I feel like a student being taught and rewired. So often, I think I have used the business of ministry as an escape, being about what I thought was His business. Not intentionally, but as I’ve said in the past, I just allowed the current of culture to tell me what was necessary and what was needed. Yet, as I’ve entered into a season of slowing down and not traveling, I’ve come to see with glaring clarity the things inside of me that God desires to touch, heal, and focus on in this season.
As much as I would love to say, “I’m here for it!” I really have found it hard. The onion is not always easy to pull back the layers. As a loving father, our God pulls back the layers of our heart and will always touch the things we don’t even know are there. I’ve just come to realize that He won’t do it without our permission and focus.
One of those things for me has been patience.
I truly dislike the word. I’ve joked from the stage forever that I hate to wait. I don’t like to wait on fast food. In fact, if I go to McDonald’s and it’s busy, I will go to Burger King because they are never busy! But it goes deeper into my soul than fast food. It goes to struggling at times to tarry in God’s presence because of a hurried life that can cram too many appointments into a day, rushing to make this with the kids, tending to what this person needs, and on and on it goes. I’m not sure if I have ADHD, but my schedule sure does!
In some ways, I’ve come to realize that it’s not just that I struggle to be patient. I actually lean to impatience. Let’s go faster. Let's do more for God. Let's start this ministry. We need to reach this group. I also like to stop things and replace them with others. All of this produces anything but peace in my life.
I saw something in Scripture recently that really spoke to my heart. “Patience is the fuel of peace.”
The Greek word in Scripture for peace is “Shalom.” It literally means wholeness, completeness. It’s deeply connected with salvation.
Ok, here is the connection.
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4 NKJV
Do you see it? When we allow patience to have its perfect work, we come into completeness, and we lack nothing. It’s the same basic definition as peace! Not only that, but if I read this correctly, there are a lot of trials that we fall into that God is using to slow us down so that He can bring us into His peace.
In the posture of patience, we really lean into trusting that God is God. That we don’t have to perform better for Him to love us more. That value isn’t based on what we accomplish but in us being His child.
In patience, we step into being like Mary who sat at His feet instead of Martha who worked for everyone else.
“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”” Luke 10:38-42 NKJV
“Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
If God is God, then He is worth waiting on.
If God is God, I must wait on Him.
If God is God, then He has; it and if He has it, then don’t have to have it.
If God is God, then I can wait on Him to….
I think that’s the point. I can wait on Him to do whatever He wants to do.
Patience is a key to peace.
As much as I would love to say, “I’m here for it!” I really have found it hard. The onion is not always easy to pull back the layers. As a loving father, our God pulls back the layers of our heart and will always touch the things we don’t even know are there. I’ve just come to realize that He won’t do it without our permission and focus.
One of those things for me has been patience.
I truly dislike the word. I’ve joked from the stage forever that I hate to wait. I don’t like to wait on fast food. In fact, if I go to McDonald’s and it’s busy, I will go to Burger King because they are never busy! But it goes deeper into my soul than fast food. It goes to struggling at times to tarry in God’s presence because of a hurried life that can cram too many appointments into a day, rushing to make this with the kids, tending to what this person needs, and on and on it goes. I’m not sure if I have ADHD, but my schedule sure does!
In some ways, I’ve come to realize that it’s not just that I struggle to be patient. I actually lean to impatience. Let’s go faster. Let's do more for God. Let's start this ministry. We need to reach this group. I also like to stop things and replace them with others. All of this produces anything but peace in my life.
I saw something in Scripture recently that really spoke to my heart. “Patience is the fuel of peace.”
The Greek word in Scripture for peace is “Shalom.” It literally means wholeness, completeness. It’s deeply connected with salvation.
Ok, here is the connection.
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4 NKJV
Do you see it? When we allow patience to have its perfect work, we come into completeness, and we lack nothing. It’s the same basic definition as peace! Not only that, but if I read this correctly, there are a lot of trials that we fall into that God is using to slow us down so that He can bring us into His peace.
In the posture of patience, we really lean into trusting that God is God. That we don’t have to perform better for Him to love us more. That value isn’t based on what we accomplish but in us being His child.
In patience, we step into being like Mary who sat at His feet instead of Martha who worked for everyone else.
“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”” Luke 10:38-42 NKJV
“Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
If God is God, then He is worth waiting on.
If God is God, I must wait on Him.
If God is God, then He has; it and if He has it, then don’t have to have it.
If God is God, then I can wait on Him to….
I think that’s the point. I can wait on Him to do whatever He wants to do.
Patience is a key to peace.
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