...fast forward 67 seconds...
'...still hungry Mom!'
Like hello Mom, did you forget? My stomach is still hollering at me! It doesn't matter how patient or impatient I am, I cannot control how patient my stomach is!
I think that we are this way with God. We pray, fervently perhaps, for things we think we need or know we want. We pray over and over again, maybe we pray for the same thing twice in the same prayer, just in case God may have forgotten, like his Mom must have forgotten about his hunger pains. We pray that God will heal all ills and comfort those who are hurting. Not tomorrow though, we cannot wait on tomorrow, but why not right now? God fix us now, comfort them now, You can, so why don't You? Why do You feel the need to 'try our patience' for so long?
We find it unfair at times, life in general, but especially the moments where God is saying, 'Trust me, I know what I am doing. I see the pain in your heart, I know the ending, give Me time, and let Me do what I do, one day you too will understand dear child.' God is perfectly just, even when circumstances seem terribly unfair. He has a plan, His timing can be trusted.
He tells us in the book of Proverbs, chapter 3 verse 5 to 'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.' '...with ALL thine heart.' What does this mean to you? To me, it means no matter what my brain thinks is possible or impossible, no matter what my emotions believe is fair or unfair, no matter what the world tells me is just or unjust, the Lord is in control, especially when I don't understand it. God makes many promises in His Word, but not that life will be fair. Not that life will be easy. Not that life will work according to our plans and purposes, but His plans. In Romans 8:28 Paul writes that, 'we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.' Emphasizing, that it is not what we want when we want it, but what we need when He determines we need it, for His glory.
There are a lot of things about God that I don't know and cannot explain, but one thing I know is true; God loves at all times.
I know that He will never leave us.
I know that this battle isn't ours. The battle belongs to the Lord, let Him fight for you. Save your emotional energy and use it to dig into His Word like never before. Our job is to be obedient to God, His job is winning the battle. We can't do it alone anyway, just let Him do Him.
I know that the battle may not be easy or short-lived, but victory will be there for those who trust in God.
I know that God is good, even when circumstances are darker than you ever imagined. God is good even when people aren't. God is good even when things seem stinking hopeless. God is good even we aren't. God is good and can be trusted.
And, I know that God is good at being God. Don't try to fix what He hasn't assigned you to fix. Be patient and know the He is working on it.
Be still. And know, He is God. Be patient, He has it under control.
God doesn't simply pour a big dose of patience into our lives overnight. He builds it in us, through experiences--sometimes very hard ones, and sometimes very small and seemingly silly ones... The small experiences increase our capacity to tackle bigger ones with greater strength. Each experience, big or small, is training us to endure, creating a solid foundation in our lives to prepare us for what may come.
