Patience

Last night’s Bible study raised an interesting question: why do we belittle “doubting Thomas” just because he said:

“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (John 20:25)

How many times have we asked God to prove something by giving us what our eyes can see? After all, faith is defined this way: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)?

After some discussion, we determined that doubt is asking for proof in an attempt to build or reassure our faith or erase our doubts. However, God often answers prayer or does things we did not expect, giving us a faith-builder that was initiated by Him. There is a difference between asking for proof and Him giving us proof because He sees we need a boost.

As for doubt, it is related to impatience, like the child that wants supper now when supper has not finished cooking. Sometimes this is described to a human inability to deal with delayed gratification. This happens to adults too. We want something NOW.

Devotional reading this morning asks: Do I have the patience to wait on God’s timing? The Word of God describes the journey to patience this way:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

“Steadfast” means to endure patiently. It is a trait developed by having it tested by difficulties or challenges. Those tests usually start small.

For instance, when others learn that I quilt, they often say, “I don’t have the patience for that” meaning they want the quilt finished. When I started quilting, I enjoyed the process so much that finishing was often delayed. Now I’m very glad to have another one finished but have learned through making many quilts that the process is necessary. It also built my patience so I can persist on a project until it is done without being antsy about it.

The truth is, God patiently goes through a process to answer many of my prayers. He may give me a requested parking place in a few minutes, but when I pray for someone’s healing, or salvation, rarely do such things happen at the snap of a finger. He could do it that way, but takes time to soften hearts (or build immune systems) in respect to human situations. Not everyone is like Saul, who was persecuting Christians when God confronted him and changed his life. It seemed like an instant zap, and so did my salvation — at least to observers. No one could see the preparation going on in my heart for many years.

God’s process begins by convincing a person that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. But then they hear that they are sinners who need Him. That is a common parking place, but some admit it is true and find out that He loves them enough to die for their sin. If someone resists any of those things, He comes to them in different ways, always looking for a change in their hearts at whatever stage they are in so they can move toward Him.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

Thomas doubted that Jesus was alive. When I pray for someone and nothing seems to be happening, I could doubt that God is at work, but the entire Bible declares otherwise. I just cannot see it, like Thomas doubted until he saw Jesus. Basically, this man was saying to the other disciples, “I hear you tell me but I need to see Jesus for myself.” That sounds less like doubt and more like what Jesus wants for everyone — not to believe on hearsay but believe in Him because of a personal and very real encounter with Him.

PRAY: You are telling me again to be patient. I want what You want and I know that You could speak and make things happen instantly, but like most instant stuff in our world, it never turns out with the same power and potential as those things that take time to accomplish. I’ve been told not to pray for patience as it invites trials, but it also produces maturity. May Your will be done.

Is God doing a new thing?

 

Choices between the will of God and my will are relatively easy because I see the selfishness of my will. But what about the choices that have pluses on both sides, those choices between what is good and what is best? Is it as black and white concerning my will vs. His?

We are faced with a decision that involves clarity. For me, the will of God is not yet clear because either choice could be the right one. But my emotions are mixed to the point that I am not able to discern my will in this matter. Knowing what I want could clarify what God wants. Or are the emotions involving my will causing this confusion?

It does not help that today’s devotional reading says that without any regard to the state of our emotions, I must have the right attitude toward the will of God. Since He is not telling me what choice He wants, that means I must blindly yield, like Abraham:

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. (Genesis 12:1)

This man had no idea where God would take him, but in faith he went as the Lord told him, taking his family and all their possessions. I’ve been able to yield ‘no matter what’ to smaller things, but this is a larger choice. Yielding to one or the other would be okay as far as I can see because He isn’t telling me His will in the matter, only presenting two opportunities.

That means I have to be willing to do whatever, not have a preference until He helps me with all the reasonings and preferences that keep wandering through my head. It means being willing to go with either choice, having my will given up to Him no matter what it is or when He reveals it. It may also mean making the choice and trusting Him with the results.

Decisions like this need to be unencumbered with a lot of unmanageable feelings. If I have any emotions, I’m not to be troubled by them. I’m simply to put my will in God’s hands and leave it there.

Another devotional reading happens to speak of the same thing. It adds this thought: “When Jesus asks us what we want Him to do for us in regard to the incredible thing with which we are faced, remember that He does not work in commonsense ways, but in supernatural ways.” I’m not to limit Him by past experience, neither success or failures. He can do the impossible so that should never enter into decision-making. If I ask His help, He gives what is needed because He does the impossible thing as naturally as breathing. My stress is about not trusting Him, nor about His power to do something.

This is about the depth of my trust. One of our choices is easy. The other seems impossible. Is that a clue? Is God asking us to launch out into the deep?

Jesus saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken. (Luke 5:2–9)

If so, then God will surprise us with the results. Like this story, my needs are to be met in the deep things of God and His Word, with deeper meaning than ever before. Is He asking for deeper trust?

PRAY: Lord, I know You are with us even in places of difficulty. Yet this perplexity seems a test of trust to see if we will rely on Your grace and power. I sense that You will deliver us and give us a lesson we will never forget and never be able to thank You enough for having done whatever You are going to do. Continue to guide us in the right direction and make the best decision.

When the rug gets pulled out from under me . . .

 

 

READ Job 25-28

As Job persisted that he was blameless, his ‘friend’ Bildad hammered him — no one can be pure. Ironic. Was he including himself? Job responded that God’s majesty is unsearchable yet no matter what God did, he held to his claim:

“As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.” (Job 27:2–6)

Job knew that every part of his life depended on his Creator. He could not breathe apart from God. He knew that his righteousness was a gift from the Almighty. He held on to that gift and would not let go. He also knew about another precious gift and began talking about wisdom.

Wisdom in not about being smart, inventive or creative. It is not about knowing all sorts of things about the world, it’s flora and fauna, or people, or any area of study or science. Job talked about some of these wonders as he set up his listeners for a huge question, the answer of which explains how he knew God was not punishing him for sin:

“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. (Job 28:12–19)

Again, wisdom is not about intelligence; there are many highly educated fools. It is not about being cunning; some of those wind up in prison. Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge or experience or understanding or common sense and insight to the situations of life. It can be as simple as knowing what to do with a screaming baby, or how to minister to a broken heart, or how to sooth an angry neighbor when your child broke two of their windows. It is being able to guide a country through a crisis, the threat of war, or a pandemic. Wisdom for the tough stuff is not only precious as Job says, it is rare.

He finally asks, “From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air. Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’” (Job 28:20–22) Then this man, even in his anguished state and suffering, answers his own question:

“God understands the way to it, and he knows its place. For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure, when he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then he saw it and declared it; he established it, and searched it out. And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ” (Job 28:23–28)

Job knew what thousands do not know. Humanity races toward the greatest inventions, the biggest and best ideas, but the world does not know how to properly use most of them. Some of the best ideas are ruining health, relationships, and certainly robbing from human hearts the need for God and His grace, including His wisdom.

A deep respect and reverence for God means trusting Him even without understanding Him. This is the doorway to wisdom and the only way that Job or anyone else can hold on to godly convictions when it seems that God has dropped them off a cliff. Today and every day, I need to remember that whatever flies at me or is pulled out from under me  and threatens to shatter my peace, I need God’s wisdom and grace to stick to what He has shown me, even when it seems He has changed His mind.