Waiting on the Lord - Patience

Dec 5

When we lose patience, we let ourselves take place of God (or think we can). We forget that God gives us everything we need, that He alone can fulfill our desires. When we turn to God instead of what is tempting us to idolatry we are given patience, faithfulness, and self-control as the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

As I mentioned many months ago, my husband and I have been looking to buy a house, at a time that really is not conducive to homebuyers. His job is supposed to be moving 1+ hour to 2 hours away (depending on traffic).

We started looking about 8 months ago and put in offers on 3 different houses. I’ve heard stories of people who ended up taking 1 or even 2 years before they found a house, but in all honesty, for me it feels grueling. First houses were overpriced; now they’re still on the high side, but interest rates are higher. My husband and I are basically first-time homebuyers (we’re currently renting), so it’s been a bit of a challenge.

Why does this matter?

I crave security. I’m constantly battling a felt “need” to be in control, to know what’s going to happen, and to be able to safely expect what’s going to come next. So this house-hunt constantly tries my patience and my willingness to submit to God.

Lately, I’ve been giving up the fight without realizing it. I rationalize it (it’s so easy to do, isn’t it?) by telling myself it’s because my husband’s job is about to move, and I don’t want him to have to commute 3 hours a day, and I’d like to be in a new house by Christmas, and what if interest rates keep going up, and on and on and on. Deep in my heart, I was letting an idol start to settle in.

My hope, my security, my peace, my sense of purpose, my sense of place were all turning away from God and to a house. My friend shared a video with me recently, and the teacher, Eddie Ildefonso, noted that in Matthew Chapter 6, verse 25, when Jesus says not to be anxious and that God provides for our needs, He doesn’t mention housing.2 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on” (NKJV)1. He also points out that in Psalm 90, verse 1, Moses writes, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.”2

I neglected this truth - that God is my dwelling place, that He is my home and security and that He is preparing a place for me in eternity. As I worried more and more about finding a house, I let our maximum price go up and up. I told myself, “I’ll have to get a job anyway, so what difference does it make?” Again, rationalizing. This is why we can’t lean on our own understanding, but must acknowledge God and allow Him to direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

In 2 Chronicles Chapter 12 we see how God let Judah become a vassal state to Egypt because they turned away from Him. The Nelson Study Bible comments, “In order that the Judeans might understand how privileged they were to serve God, He would allow them to become servants to the Egyptians. Only then would they appreciate again the joy of being God’s servant people.”1

My heart ached with conviction. That is exactly what I was walking into - becoming a servant to the house I was making an idol (to the thing I thought I needed for fulfillment) because of my lack of appreciation in serving and submitting to God.

Scripture to Contemplate

Memory Plan:
Choose one Scripture each day of the week to memorize. Do this each week throughout the month.

Psalm 33:20-22 Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 40:1-2 I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.

Psalm 37:7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Applying the Scripture

I often find that we easily fall into traps of idolatry, taking our eyes off of God, when we let impatience settle in. We think we need, want, or deserve something that we don’t have. When we lose patience, we let ourselves take place of God (or think we can) and start trying to force our way into a situation we deem best for us. We forget that God gives us everything we need, that He alone can fulfill our desires.

When we turn to God, in reading and meditating on His Word and in prayer, instead of what is tempting us to idolatry (security, purpose, fulfillment, or even good things like a home, a family, or serving), we grow in patience, faithfulness, and self-control as the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

As we wait on the Lord, we grow in Him. The waiting, the frustration, and the difficulty of the wrestling match are instruments of pruning so that we may bear this good fruit.

Focus & Meditation Verse

Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Meditate on this verse each day throughout the month. Take time to think about each word - what it means and where else it is used in the Bible. Think about what it says about God. Think about how it demonstrates God’s love for you.

Not my will, but Thine be Done

When troubles fill my anxious heart

When worries do consume

not for lack of sustenance

nor peace at hand to hold

but for lack of patience

I do fret in woe

Change my heart, Lord

to trust in You

to say,

Not my will be done,

but Yours

Lord, Your will be done.

When I see I lost my way

When I look ahead in dismay

It is not for lack of guidance

for You make my path straight

When my eyes are turned to You

my strength renews.

Change my hope, Lord

to be only in You

to see,

Not my will be done,

but Yours

Lord, Your will be done.

For You know all things

Your ways higher than mine

All that I think I need

I count as loss, I lay aside

for You are the treasure

I sell all else to have as mine

Teach me, Jesus, to say as You,

Not my will be done,

but Yours

Lord, Your will be done.

Father, I submit to You

all the worries in my heart.

I lay down my hopes and fears

my sin, confessed to You.

Jesus, You are all I have

all good things come from You.

Help me to accept Your plan

Your Word, revealing truth.

References:

Radmacher, Earl D., et al. The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version. T. Nelson Publishers, 1997.
Eddie Ildefonso - God's Time, Your Time, YouTube, 18 July 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBB7vmHTVt8&t=2s. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.