Lord, I need patience, but Lord, I need it NOW!
Have you sensed that frustrating feeling of impatience recently? I wonder if the longer we are caught up in using technology for just about everything, and the faster it gets, the more impatient we are becoming.
Now, I have no trouble with my internet speed at home (to write and publish this Blog!) but:
“The Ookla Speed Test Global Index ranked Australia as 55th in the world for fixed broadband in December [2017] with an average download speed of 25.88 Mbps. The list was based on data from 129 countries. The average download speed globally is 40.71 Mbps – while Singapore topped the list with an impressive 161.21 Mbps.” (www.triplem.com.au )
Maybe we should all move to Singapore! Or alternatively learn some new habits concerning patience and trust from the Psalmist who wrote:
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry. (Psalm 40:1)
Or as the Passion Translation puts it:
I waited and waited and waited some more,
patiently, knowing God would come through for me.
Then, at last, he bent down and listened to my cry. (Psalm 40:1)
Wilcock comments:
“The waiting has been rewarded. This tiptoe expectancy (as distinct from finger-tapping impatience or yawning boredom) is the vital thing that the Lord looks for in his people, since it shows a positive active trust. The old Latin title of Psalm 40, Expectans expectavi, indicates both its eagerness and the Hebrew that lies behind the words waited patiently, namely a doubling of the verb: ‘Expectantly I expected the Lord to act.’” (#5)
In fact, “wait” is a key word in the Psalms. Meaning, that having prayed and let God know what you want Him to know, then patiently and expectantly wait for His answer. Here are some more verses from the Psalms:
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:7)
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)
We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. (Psalm 33:20)
Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God. (Psalm 38:15)
I wait for your salvation, Lord, and I follow your commands. (Psalm 119:166)
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. (Psalm 130:5)
Maybe some good verses to learn off by heart for the next time any moments of “finger-tapping impatience” comes our way!
The New Testament also has something to say about the importance of patience.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Col 3:12)
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Tim 4:2)
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. (James 5:7)
Always remembering that, as Peter says:
Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience [with us] means salvation [for us]. (2 Peter 3:15)
Thank you, our Father, for this great truth that you are a patient God, and you have patience with us in granting us eternal salvation. Enable us to be those who patiently and expectantly wait for your answers to our prayers and fill us with your Spirit transforming us into people of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Amen
Tehilim (Psalms) - "songs of praise". 