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Have you ever considered asking the Lord for patience? If so, I’d strongly suggest that you don’t… until you think it all the way through. No, I’m seriously! In order to have patience, you not only have to learn how to wait, but you have to learn to wait in anticipation and expectation. Think about it, usually when we ask the Lord for patience, we’ve asked Him to do something and now we have to wait. The Apostle Paul puts it this way, We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope^[for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) Romans 8:24-25 NLT

Waiting is not my most favorite thing to do (understatement!).  However, when we are certain that our situation is gonna change, but we just don’t know when, that’s called FAITH! Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. God is patiently waiting for just the right moment.  We must Trust His timing! He only wants the best for us..… and we should be EXCITED! 

About 6 years ago, I wrote a blog post entitiled, “Wait in Anticipation and Expectation, Not in Frustration“. I’m sure that you’ve never been frustrated while waiting on God, but I have. I had asked God for something and although ultimately, my situation was, and still is the result of a decision that I made, I have asked God to fix it. You may remember, the Apostle Paul’s thorn in his flesh in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. I too was feeling annoyed because God has not removed my thorn, at least not in a way that I thought He would and there was nothing that I could do to change it. Just the other day, I was listening to a message that helped me to truly understand why I still have my thorn and for me to be OK with keeping it until God says otherwise… but that a story for another day.

Many times in the Bible, the word “patience” is used with waiting, endurance and perservance. In the Book of James, it says this, Dear brothers and sisters,^[when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4

The Apostle Paul, says it this way, We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. Romans 5:3-5 NLT

So we should always take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit in saying … And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Hebrews 12:1-2a NLT

Many of us have found that the race ahead may be a long one, or not! But either way, we must wait for guidance and direction from the Holy Spirit and we have to keep moving forward by Faith. Life is moving too fast for us to stand still, while we wait. The Bible says, But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

I know that at times, it’s a lot easier said, than done, but let’s keep waiting, God knows just the right time.

One of my favorite scriptures and maybe yours to is Jeremiah 29:11 KJV, which says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Last September, the Holy Spirit spoke to me about that scripture and now I see it in a brand new perspective and I believe that you will too.

Next week, we will talk about “God’s Plan for Us has not Changed!”