I think we are entering into week 5 or 6 of our stay at home orders. I know we are all a little wary of staying in, but I feel we have to be patient and trust God’s plan.
Today I thought it would be fitting to talk about PATIENCE. The passage I will be reading is from Romans 15:4-5. If you have your Bibles, read along with me. I’m reading from the New Living Translation.
“Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.”
Romans 15:4-5
What is patience? The dictionary defines it as “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.”
Waiting and having patience during seasons like this pandemic is VERY hard. Honestly, patience is probably the Fruit of the spirit I struggle with the most. I love how Katherine J Butler describes patience; “Patience is an active choice to gracefully wait for something to unfold.”
I know many of you are frustrated with your current situation. Most of you are with your family 24/7 and you would love to get away for an hour to have coffee with a friend or go on a date with your spouse.
Hang in there. This too shall pass. God will get us through this! He is working all things together. God is using this time to grow us in our faith and in our patient endurance!
Will you pray with me?
Oh precious Heavenly Father, Thank you for being with us this day. Thank you for being a God who gives us patience and provides encouragement along the way.
Today, I pray you will be with everyone who is listening to the sound of my voice. I pray you will wrap your arms around them. I pray you will hold them close and allow them to feel your presence.
Oh Lord,
I pray for friends who have lost loved ones, hold them close, Dear Lord.
I pray for Health care professionals and scientists who are diligently working on a vaccine for this virus.
I pray for all those who are on the front lines: first responders, doctors and nurses, people responsible for cleaning the hospitals and nursing home facilities.
For everyone who has lost jobs
I pray for our state and national leaders as they work on a plan on getting people back to work and our economy going.
I pray for family members experiencing health crises right now. I especially want to lift up my mother in law and my uncle Mike. Lord, you know their needs. I trust you will provide.
Oh Father, thank you for the privilege to come to you in prayer. We ask these things in Jesus name, Amen.
In my last blog post, I shared a story of perseverance when I recently climbed Piestewa Peak in Arizona. If you haven’t read it, you may want to go back and read it here before continuing.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT
We all have mountains to face. Here are 3 things I would encourage you to do as you face your mountain;
Bring others around you for encouragement.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith…”
My friend and I would have not finished this hike if it were not for my son’s encouragement. ● The sun was hot. ● The incline was steep. ● The terrain was rocky!
We would hike for 10 minutes and then stop for a break. Each time, Garrett would say, “Ok”. He would give us time to rest. When a few minutes passed, he would patiently say, “Are you ready to continue?” I would look way ahead and see people so high up the peak, I would become overwhelmed and thought that there was no way we were going to make it. But, little by little, with the encouragement of Garrett, we made it to the top!
Friends, some of you are in a tough spot now. Others have been there and can offer encouragement. Those who are strong can encourage the weak. Those who have been wounded can give hope to those with fresh wounds. Be encouraged by the huge crowd of witnesses that are with you. Those who have a testimony of God’s goodness can inspire those seeking deliverance. Be with believers so that you can finish the race well!
Eliminate the Weight
In Hebrews 12:1, we read, Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
Now my friend and I may not have known what was coming, but my son did. He made sure we were prepared; we had our sunscreen, our water, and our snacks. If we would have set out on the hike without water or snacks, I doubt we would have finished. At the same time, we weren’t loaded down with unnecessary items like heavy coats or unnecessary things.
As the three of us were chatting on our way up, my friend shared about an assignment one of her professors had her do when she started working on her Nurse practitioner degree. The professor had the class do submit a paper on what they were going to do to adjust their time as they started their schooling.
She wrote about the book “The Little Engine that Could.” Do you remember the story? It’s about a train filled with toys and gifts for little boys and girls that breaks down before reaching the children. After asking several passing trains for help over the hill, a little blue train agrees to help the stranded toys. Even though she is small, the blue train tries her best to bring the toys to the children on the other side of the hill. The story is used to teach children the value of optimism and hard work.
While that story is inspirational, there is something hollow about optimism without Jesus. Sure we can say, “I think I can.” But it gives us a far greater hope to know we can endure in any situation and do everything through Christ who gives us strength. (Philippians 4:13) When we don’t have the Lord’s help, we can’t continue the race. We are limited to our own abilities. We are weighed down by our own limits.
As we continued to climb, I had to keep reminding myself that God will give me the strength to make it to the top. I continued to say to myself, “I think I can… I think I can… I knew I could not finish the climb without perseverance and the help of my son Garrett and my friend.
Let the Lord’s Joy Be Yours
Hebrews 12:2 says, “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”
Don’t you just love that Jesus overlooked the pain of the cross and the shame it produced and focused on the victory. His victory is ours, friends!
I am so thankful I didn’t see the VERY DIFFICULT warning sign before we started our hike. I probably would have said “You know.. I think we should find another trail and put our effort into something a little less challenging.”
I am so glad Jesus resisted a similar temptation when he prayed for relief in the Garden of Gethsemane.
When we thought we couldn’t make it up that trail, God proved himself. We needed to continue to put one foot in front of the other, God was with us each step of the way.
James 1:2-4 says; “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
I am facing a new mountain myself. As some of you know, I stepped away from a career as a children’s pastor at the end of 2019. For seventeen years, I developed and lead teams who helped children and their families in their faith development. I loved my job! God asked me to step away from “what I know” and step into the “unknown.” While I don’t know exactly what God has in store for me, He has told me to encourage others in their spiritual walk—especially as we journey these unprecedented times. I am excited to see how God uses me in this next season!
Can you imagine what God would do for you if you were to ask Him to give you the courage and perseverance you need to climb your mountain? Do you believe God will provide for your needs? I know we are living in the middle of a global pandemic and some things are out of our control. I have to wonder what the invitation is in this season to face your mountain.
Trust me on this… God is with you. God hears you. He understands your heart. And God can make every challenge you face work for your good, your strengthening, and His glory.
