A Patient God

I think about it a lot. How patient God is with me!

I mean some days I can be so dense. And so bull-headed. And so un-teachable.

Some days I pray for God to show up...

And He gently whispers from the pages of scripture, “[I] will never leave you or forsake you.” {Deut 31:8} NLT

And wasn't it Jacob who also wrestled with this? But awaking from His sleep He realizes, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn't even aware of it!” {Genesis 28:16} NLT

Some days I worry about the future...

And God, in all of His infinite wisdom and grace floods my heart with this single promise, “For I know the plans I have for you... they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” {Jeremiah 29:11} NLT

And wasn't it Rahab who entrusted her future, and the future of her family to the kindness of Joshua's spies and to Yahweh, Israel's God? And didn't this trust lead her straight into the lineage of Jesus Christ... wife to Salmon, mother to Boaz, mother-in-law to Ruth, great-grandmother to King David? A future Rahab could never have imaged, because of the grace of our great God! {Matthew 1:5-6}

Some days I beg for the strength to make it through another day...

And with the boom of a trumpet blast He proclaims to me, “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” {Isaiah 40:29-31} NLT

And wasn't it Daniel, trapped within a den of lions who was spared by the strength of the living God and resounded with praise for His rescue, “Long live the King! My God sent His angel to shut the lions' mouths so they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in His sight.” {Daniel 6:21-22} NLT

Some days I long for the peace of Jesus...

And I see it there, written to me, the promise of peace, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give you is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.”

And Solomon understood it, “But now the Lord my God has given me peace on every side; I have no enemies, and all is well.” {1 Kings 5:4} NLT

Some days I worry and I fret and I stress over things that consume me and overwhelm me. Some days I simply forget about the promises of God. A good God. A patient God. The one who bends down, leans in, cradles my face in His strong hands and reminds me, “I've got this, dear one.”

How patient He is!

He was patient with Adam and Eve and the Israelites and He is patient with me. Because He is refining me and shaping me and stretching me and growing me.

And I am enormously grateful for the process and for His beautiful grace!

And on an afternoon in July I see the rows of corn. And I think about my own process of developing and I etch it out:

“And I see it in the growing rows of golden yellow. And we're happy to wait for it because it's worth it. And I think about my own growth journey. How patient He is in the developing of a soul. The sun strengthens but the rain is necessary too. How grateful I am for the waiting period. My growth is dependent on it. Thankful and blessed!”

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,