“I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.” (Psalm 40:1-2 NIV)
One of the things I struggle most with is patience. By now, after having lived with affliction for so many years, patience should come “naturally” to me, but it doesn’t. Indeed, sometimes I fear I am becoming less patient instead of more patient.
The author C.S. Lewis said in one of his letters: We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is “good”, because it is good, if “bad” because it works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.
I know Mr. Lewis was right, and I agree with his words. But patience does not come easy. When all is said and done, I strongly suspect that for many of us we will never have the strength and fortitude and patience on our own to deal with hardships. Instead, we must look to the Lord to fulfill those parts where we are lacking. It is God’s power, His Spirit working in us and through us that will enable us to find patience in affliction and our various trials.
Too often we think that our willpower, our stubbornness, our determination will win the day. And there is something to be said for those things. Yet what truly will make us winners is our reliance upon God, our faith and trust that He will see us through no matter what, and in that we can find patience for whatever comes our way.
Prayer: Dear Lord, give us the patience we need for the trials that come our way. Amen.
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.” (Psalm 40:1-2 NIV)
One of the things I struggle most with is patience. By now, after having lived with affliction for so many years, patience should come “naturally” to me, but it doesn’t. Indeed, sometimes I fear I am becoming less patient instead of more patient.
The author C.S. Lewis said in one of his letters: We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is “good”, because it is good, if “bad” because it works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.
I know Mr. Lewis was right, and I agree with his words. But patience does not come easy. When all is said and done, I strongly suspect that for many of us we will never have the strength and fortitude and patience on our own to deal with hardships. Instead, we must look to the Lord to fulfill those parts where we are lacking. It is God’s power, His Spirit working in us and through us that will enable us to find patience in affliction and our various trials.
Too often we think that our willpower, our stubbornness, our determination will win the day. And there is something to be said for those things. Yet what truly will make us winners is our reliance upon God, our faith and trust that He will see us through no matter what, and in that we can find patience for whatever comes our way.
Prayer: Dear Lord, give us the patience we need for the trials that come our way. Amen.
Karlton Douglas
Copyright 2016
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