Devotional: Patience
"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"
-Psalm 24:17
If there’s one godly attribute that doesn’t have a cap on growth, it would be patience because the need for it is forced upon us in daily scenarios. The need for patience is the permeating theme throughout life and our Christian walk. We wait in traffic, we wait in lines, we wait for the next season of life, we wait for holidays to come and go, we wait for God to take action in our lives when we have no solution, we wait for the next step of direction from Him, we wait for healing in our bodies, we wait to hear God’s voice in silence… But above all, we are waiting for one specific and culminating moment– Christ’s return.
Jesus is the object of our hope and patience. Our life of waiting for Him is truly a test of our faith, which is why Jesus reminds the churches in Revelation to hold fast! When things appear as if they are out of control in this chaotic world and we ask ourselves, “Where is Jesus?!,” He petitions us to simply hold fast to the anchor of our souls, which is sure and steadfast.
His promises to come back for us and that we will be with Him forever will not fail.
Hebrews 4:11-12 says,
“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
Our natural bend in the grind of life is to “grow sluggish” in our walk of faith because it is easier to focus on the “seen” realm than the “unseen” realm. In this present age, it is especially difficult to cultivate patience due to the instant gratification we experience with technology and instant services. If the Christians in the earliest century were struggling with endurance, can you imagine how much more difficult we have it in 2024? This is why we need to be strengthened by meeting with other believers, praying, reading God’s Word, and meditating on His promises. If we don’t strengthen ourselves, we will get choked up by the world and its pressures, leading to sluggishness, complacency, or even worse, leaving our faith. Jesus unveils this concept in His parable of the sower.
The Parable— Matthew 13:3-9
3 “Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Explanation— Matthew 13:18-23
18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
The explanation of this parable reveals how imperative it is to be firmly rooted in what we believe. If not, persecutions or the cares of the world will choke us out, causing us to be unfruitful. This applies to the fruit of patience. If our hearts are not established and focused on Christ, we will lose our endurance. Ultimately, patience (or the lack of) reveals our level of trust and faith in Jesus.
What do we do while waiting?
Psalm 24:17 says to “be strong” and “let your heart take courage.”
James 5:8 says to “be patient” and “establish your heart.”
Hebrews 10:22-23 says to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” and “hold fast the confession of our hope.”
Notice that all three scriptures talk about the heart. Cultivating patience comes down to this question:
“Is your heart anchored to the truth that God is faithful?”
How do we strengthen our hearts to be patient?
Read the Bible
Remind yourself of when Jesus has been faithful to you in the past
Stay connected to other believers
Listen to stories of God’s faithfulness to others
Pray
Remember your identity in Christ: you are permanently His
Take a Moment:
What helps you, personally, establish patience as you wait for the Lord?
What’s an area in your life where you feel like your patience is running low or running out?
Pray for peace and joy as you are in “the waiting room.” What lessons could He be trying to teach you?
Listen to a song called “You Never Break a Promise” by Mountaintops
Trusting in God’s faithfulness as we wait is what it means to live by faith.
-Alina