DR IN THE HOUSE ON ‘PATIENCE’
IT CAN BE SO DIFFICULT WAITING ON THE LORD AND FOR LIFE TO TURN AROUND FOR THE BETTER
THE PROBLEM: Waiting for life to get better, financial situation to improve, marriage, healing, cured of foothold you are caught in, addictions, bad attitudes, abuses and moving on….. (And so often He answers us, but it looks so different from what we asked for that we miss how perfectly he laid out each step.)
THE WORD: I love the Book of John and find so much learning in there. (Think of the story where the crippled man, for like 38 years, asked to be cured. And, let’s consider some details that are easy to overlook.) Before we get into this story from John, let’s look at James 5:7 for some crucial tips on how to wait.
James 5:7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
- Keywords…Wait on the Lord… Not on the world to help….Wait on the Lord to come.
- Why say, ‘like a farmer’?…Because farmers know how it works….they plant and pray, seeing the successful pattern of work and prayer…their faith in the process grows as they see it provide over and over- and then they expect. (We need to be like this. Pray and work, work and pray… over and over again…our faith then grows… and we begin to hopefully expectantly…. rather than doubtfully wonder which can lead to discouragement.
- Why mention, ‘like autumn and spring rains’….Because even farmers, who know how to work the land and plant responsibly also know they NEED rain. They may do all the right things on their own but they know that THEY AND THEIR HARD WORK ALONE will not be enough…they need God and the rain too.
John 5:8 Jesus said unto him, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.
- Now look at John 5:8 Arise, take up your bed and walk.
- Rise…the crippled man could lay there for another 38 more years but God says ‘Get up’. (‘People get in there before me’, says the crippled man. Which to me means he can move but maybe not as fast as the others.)
- The farmer must plant. He doesn’t just sit there and complain because his neighbor is getting all the rain. He does the best he can, works as hard as he can with what he has and then prays and waits. He also doesn’t sit there and expectant to have a plentiful crop if he hasn’t even planted. We have to simply do ALL we can and THEN wait expectantly.
- Take up your bed: Why is this in here. Well, let’s not make it easy to crawl back in to 🙂 Let’s face it, many of us can turn over a new leaf for a season but if we don’t totally clean up our mess—-we are so likely to wind up back ‘in bed’.
- Walk: The crippled man can move….but complains about his current condition rather than doing what he can. This had Jesus asking him how badly he really wanted to be cured. Yikes. (This has me questioning some of my past prayers-eek.)
- Rise…the crippled man could lay there for another 38 more years but God says ‘Get up’. (‘People get in there before me’, says the crippled man. Which to me means he can move but maybe not as fast as the others.)
THE GIFT: We know that in all things if we have faith and ask wholeheartedly, we receive. God says ask with all our heart and for us to do our part. (So this is such a crusher for those of us feeling unanswered) For that two things, I think about. One is timing and that God is exceedingly powerful. He will answer us. We need to keep going until we see it. And I pray we keep reflecting and keep our eyes, hearts, and minds open to see how God is ‘raining’ down on us in ways we aren’t even aware of.
God will bring the rain—-and we must plant.
THE CHOICE: We have free will… How serious are we?…. Do we ask with all our heart and for His will to be done?
It’s a toughy this week. But, God loves you and wants great things for you. Desire things that are pleasing and right with all your heart, do your part, and then wait with hope, expectantly. I pray for this for us all friends.
Niccie
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