Patience

Throughout my life, I've always thought of myself as a patient person. I was always o.k. with waiting, not antsy, and generally expected that I'd have to wait for whatever I needed to get. The older I got, the idea that I was patient grew less and less true. I found myself getting all huffy about waiting for too long and generally avoided it at all costs. Once I visited New York City, I don't believe my patience level has ever been the same. I found myself yelling at the cars around me in Cobb to go faster, 'what's the hold up!?'

But the patience I'm talking about right now is not the kind you need to have in line or behind the wheel. It's the patience you must have with God.

If anyone knows about waiting on God, it's me. I cannot tell you just how long I've waited for a certain situation to be resolved. I've tried to solve it on my own, with nothing to show for it; I've tried to use other people's advice, it was useless. It wasn't until I started really listening to God that I heard Him say, "wait."

I struggled with this idea. "Wait? How much longer should I wait? I've been waiting for so long already to be done with this!" But God continued to say, "wait on me."

Even now, in my waiting, my feelings and resolve has been flung back and forth like a yo-yo. What could possibly be done by waiting? What if it is never solved the way I want or need it to be?

God has it under control. Even when we think nothing is happening, God is fighting a battle for us. God will reward us for waiting on Him.

Psalm 37:7-9 says, "Rest in the Lord and be willing to wait for Him. Do not trouble yourself when all goes well with the one who carries out his sinful plans. Stop being angry. Turn away from fighting. Do not trouble yourself. It leads only to wrong-doing. For those who do wrong will be cut off. But those who wait for the Lord will be given the earth."

In my waiting and my troubles, I've grown into an angry person. I cannot continue to harbor feelings of anger or bitterness. It's not something I'm used to or something that I want. I need to have faith in God and wait on Him, and trust that He is on my side fighting.

Hebrews 10:36 says, "You must be willing to wait without giving up. After you have done what God wants you to do, God will give you what he promised you."

Amen. We cannot give up. I have given up once before, and it led me to sin. I can't tell you just how disappointed I was in myself. If I had just kept on being persistent in my waiting on God, instead of rebelling and giving up, maybe I would be farther along than I am now. But because I will not give up now, I have faith that God will deliver what was promised to me.

And of course, Romans 5: 3-4. It's funny, before I even started to think about patience and waiting, one of my friends on Facebook posted this verse on his status. That is when I began to really think about what it means to be patient with God.

"We are glad for our troubles also. We know that troubles help us learn not to give up. When we have learned not to give up, it shows we have stood the test. When we have stood the test, it gives us hope."

Because I know I cannot give up, I have 'stood the test.' There is hope. In waiting for God and having faith in Him, believing without giving up and giving in, there is hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of those verses that everyone recites, but I feel like God has told it to me over and over again. So much so that it's annoying when I hear it, yet still comforting.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

I may not be the most patient person in the world by any means, but I know what it is to wait for God and to trust in Him. It may be the hardest thing for one to do, but oh, it is so worth it.