Patient Faith
Impatience has always been my downfall. I have made so many mistakes simply because I wanted to move God’s plan along at a faster pace. Today’s reading doesn’t tell us that John was impatient for Jesus to declare himself Messiah. Perhaps he was having second thoughts; however I feel like the man who witnessed the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus while the voice of God announced him to be His son would not doubt that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. When I read John’s question, I hear my own impatience echoed. John was not known to be subtle, nor was he one who wasted time. The things we have recorded which he said, and to whom he dared to say them to, reveal him to be bold and perhaps even rash. While we don’t honestly know what the motivation behind John’s question was, I have to wonder if his words were not meant to motivate his cousin into action. Jesus, in true fashion, hurried not one moment ahead of schedule to satisfy even a beloved child of God.
Romans 12:12 implores us, “Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Do you feel as if that verse were written just for you? I do. No matter what goes on in my life, there is always something greater waiting up ahead. Even if every project I set my heart on in this life were to be completed, I would still have a hope in something greater in eternity. Nothing in this life will ever satisfy me, and I pray it never does. I never want to lose the hunger for God’s eternal gift waiting for me. This is why we rejoice. Whether we are looking forward to an end of trials, an answer to prayer, or an eternity with our Heavenly Father, we have a hope worth rejoicing in. For now, we must learn to be patient in tribulation and constant in our prayers. Don’t forget that when John asked Jesus if he truly was the Messiah, he was bound in chains and thrown in prison. It is in these dark times that our patience wavers.
Habakkuk was a man, a prophet, who showed us a great example of patience. In Habakkuk Chapter 3, we have one of his prayers recorded. This prayer was uttered as reports of destruction and the wrath of God came to him. What is so beautiful about the words this man prayed is that he saw the destruction but never let go of his hope. Verses 16-19 read, “I hear, and my body trembles, my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones, my steps totter beneath me. I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig trese do not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, He makes me tread upon my high places.” Habakkuk walked in patience because he walked in faith.
Faith and patience go hand in hand. When we trust that God will do what He promises, we have to trust that He knows exactly when the right time to do it is. Why do I struggle with this basic truth? Perhaps, like so many who have gone before me, my faith can be summarized in the words of the father of a demon possessed boy. “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). The more we see of the God we serve, the more our patience grows. The more we trust, the more our faith is strengthened. God doesn’t expect perfection from His children. If that were possible, it would have saved Jesus a lot of agony. What He asks of us is to keep growing. When we lack patience, let us cry out to our God, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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