WATCHWORD:
And in the same way—by our faith—the Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don’t even know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words. Romans 8:26
13 I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see his goodness to me here in the land of the living. 14 Don’t be impatient. Wait for the Lord, and he will come and save you! Be brave, stouthearted, and courageous. Yes, wait and he will help you. Psalm 27:13-14
Meditation:
Patience, Prudence
I stood at the counter while a somewhat frustrated staff member processed my credit card to pay for my copay at the doctor’s office. Her comment was that the system had been slow all day and it was “maddening”, her word. Modern day frustrations hit the doctor, too. My first medical appointment after my clinic “went on line and eliminated all paper-work”, my doctor laughed as she vainly sought a piece of paper in order to make a note!
We wait for the system to come online, we laugh, with the doctor, because it’s what we go through as well. Our knuckles turn white gripping the steering wheel, as we encounter mile after mile of construction on our highways. We consider leaving the restaurant because we haven’t been waited on and, maybe, another couple who came in long after we did already have their orders placed. Grrrrr.
I’m not sure patience is in short supply so much as there seem to be multiple opportunities to lose it. We know that businesses are having a hard time filling out their wait-staff, and grocery stores are having a hard time filling their shelves. The current state of our society is such that we are going through growing pains, change pains, not to mention violent weather pains.
Prudence is also known as good judgment, wisdom, and calmness in considering our affairs. One only has to think of Florida and the Carolinas, and the people suffering from storm Ian, to give us grounds to recalculate. To offer prayers for those who are suffering with so much loss and who have access to so little, at the present moment, yet, look around at your abundance, your home intact.
The Lord tells us to relax, not to worry. He reminds us that our weakness is an opportunity to grow in our faith. Sometimes that can be frustrating because in our heart we want it now, we don’t want to have to wait, to stand in line, or we can’t find what we’re looking for in the store. The Lord continues to tell us that his radiant riches are abundantly available, to help us, and his grace is sufficient. We are far richer than we know.
I suspect that in a dark mood of impatience, we may let “Help me Jesus”, slipped from our mind. We are called to go gently through the day, calmly leaning on Jesus, and enjoying his presence. Remember, when we do not know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words. Amen.
Others’ View of Patience:
“It takes patience to listen… It takes skill to pretend that you are actually listening.” Nikhil Saluja
“I had my patience tested. It’s negative.” Unknown
“I can resist everything except temptation.” Oscar Wilde
Prayer for Strength:
Lord, give me the strength to wait upon Your promises. Help me to stay patient when the end goal seems so far out of reach. Just as I must wait for Your revelation, I pray that I learn to wait patiently with understanding for all things to come to pass in my life. Amen.
