WE KNOW HOW TROUBLES CAN DEVELOP PASSIONATE PATIENCE IN US
ROMANS 5:3 KJV
The toughest times are those when what we thought we knew about God seems to go flying out the window! That’s when we learn about his silence. So what’s the lesson God’s likely to be teaching you whenever He’s not saying a word? That He wants us to grow in our own ability to think, to process and arrive at a sound conclusion. And all the while He stands by with a hushed smile and a watchful eye. It’s what your natural parents often did too without you noticing! You’ve probably heard it said that faith comes by hearing. Well patience comes by silence! Patience is God’s gift to you when bad things remain unchanged. It’s God’s aspirin for when your aching head is tired of trying to work it out. There will be times when the pain lasts so long that only God can release the patience required, the divine grace to sustain you. Listen ‘Keep your eyes on Jesus, who began and finished this race we are in. Study how He did it because He never lost sight of where he was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – He could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now He is there, in the place of honour, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility He ploughed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls’ (Hebrews 12:1-3 TM). By looking at the examples the Bible gives us, we can see that patience is actually true strength harnessed by the Holy Spirit!
