Let Patience Have Her Perfect Work – Part II

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. James 1:2-4 (MSG)
Old school Christians used to say, never pray for patience, for when you do, you are praying for trials -

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Romans 5:3-5 KJV

Whether I consciously asked for it, or whether I just began to agree with God (because I needed it) – I began to ask for God to help me, to develop the God kind of attitude toward life, toward my family, toward my church. I can still remember the day when I prayed the following verse:

“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” Phillipians 3:10 KJV

I did not want suffering – everything in me resisted what I knew was coming (even though in my wildest imagination I couldn’t even have imagined what came) – but I had reached the point of no return – I had to know Him! I had to be made conformable unto his death – even if it meant suffering.

After I made forty my life changed in a hundred ways – some would like to put the changes on hormones, but I knew it was something greater – God was taking me through a transformation of my character and as I said last week – I found the way up, was down! Falling and failing became by-products of my life – but with every failure, and with every fall – I began to die – and little by little, here a little, there a little – I began to want the character of my Savior more than I wanted my way!

And so I waited – and waited – and waited – dreams had to die – seeds of faith that had begun to grow in me – they died to – having hope seemed to be of no use – it seemed nothing was ever going to be as I desired again… and yet I prayed – and even when I didn’t believe it – I would pray the word of faith – and even when I didn’t feel as if I even deserved to pray… And I sought wise counsel and I sorted through, what I could do something about, and what I couldn’t… I learned that you can love people, but you can’t control them – and the source of much impatience – is our desire to control others – to make them do what we want them (or think they ought) to do. I discovered that love covers, but it does not lie – God desires truth in the inward parts – denying what is – will not make it so –

And then one day – I don’t know when it happened, and I can’t tell you how, but the fruit began to grow – the leaves turned green – the crop of prayers sown for so many years – began to be seen – and before long there was a harvest – and this time I was not ashamed – for I knew – it was no longer I, but Christ – I couldn’t take credit – whatever was, was because of Him!

My dear friends, God has a plan bigger and better than anything we can plan – but we must wait on that plan – no not sitting on it – for waiting is an action word:

So be patient, brethren, [as you wait] till the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits expectantly for the precious harvest from the land. [See how] he keeps up his patient [vigil] over it until it receives the early and late rains. James 5:7 (AMP)

God Bless You This Day,
Maria