“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” - Gal 5:22(NIV).
Patience as we see is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. No area can Christians show the virtue of patience than in their prayer life. Take for instance a question of marriage. Here is a young man who feels he has reached a time to settle down in a family. He has his eyes set on a young lady. So he proposes. The response of the lady is not a rejection. It is wait. Let’s continue being friends as we pray. The young man is discouraged and decides to abandon his interest in the lady altogether. Why! Because his prayer request was not answered immediately.
This is probably good for the young lady for a man who is that impatient may not make the best of husbands. He might always expect his desires to be met at the snap of the finger. Such people are hard to please and live with!
But come to think of it, isn’t there a set of Christians who practice a “command and order” faith! Once they are convinced of an idea, they rush it to God and expect to be honored right on cue. Any delay leads them to wonder what is wrong with God. Or is it their faith! Could it be they are not praying hard enough! Soon they walk away in total dejection.
Yet it could be God simply wants to produce in them the fruit of patience. In our prayer life we should learn to be patient. When we approach God in prayer it should be with total confidence that he has our interest at best. By being patient there is no doubt that God will bless us majestically with time.
Prayer for Today: Lord Father in heaven, today I pray that you teach me to be patient and steadfast in my prayer life.
Related upcoming events
-
27/04/2024 - 28/04/2024 All day“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (Psalm 42:1).
In the wildlife, a common feature is predatory animals chasing after less ferocious ones, which on a bad day become good dinner. Through the savannah plains of Africa the antelope tends to suffer that fate. After a long chase from a mighty lion, cheetah or leopard; antelopes that survive tend to retreat to a fresh water spot. There they gladly refresh their quench with streams of water.
King David, must have been more familiar with deer, as there are more common in the Northern Hemisphere. For us in the tropics we can substitute the deer with our antelope, commonly chased by predators. After a long chase, of course all pant for pints of water.
The significance of this metaphor is that whenever we encounter any situation that puts us on a chase, where do we run to! Habakuk 3:19 says, “The Lord God give my strength. He helps me run fast like deer. He leads me safely on the mountains” (Habakuk 3:19).
Two things of note here. The Lord can make us run as fast as the fastest antelope being chased by a predator to a well of safety. And of course, as we run, we have that the well of God to end up to and refresh ourselves! This is why David wrote, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11).
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today like the antelopes of the wildlife I run to you, to that well of life, which refreshes my soul, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
