by John Slenk

We have all heard the age old quotation, “Patience is a Virtue.” How many of us still use that quote today?  It seems we now live in a society that disdains patience, and prefers a “hot and now” mentality of getting things quickly, and if that doesn’t happen, we often become disgruntled.

 I’ve been thinking about the art of patience lately since the corona virus has swept over the world making many of us home bound with very little interaction with family and friends or worship. Severe loneliness sets in especially for those who live alone.  All of us are becoming antsy and wondering when this will end. We probably aren’t thinking too much about asking God to give us patience to endure it.

Romans 8: 25 says, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

So how does this patience and waiting for the Lord thing have a practical application in our daily lives? Most of you know I serve on our Pastor Search Team. We often pray for the Holy Spirit’s leading us to the pastor of His choosing and to prepare the heart and mind of that person He has selected for us. Then follows something like this, “Father, give us the patience to wait on You through this difficult process, Amen.” And I barely get the Amen out, and my mind continues praying, “Father give me the patience to wait on You, but I won’t care a bit if You speed things up a little,” and my patience evaporates that quickly. Sound familiar?

In Proverbs 16:32 Solomon begins this verse by saying, “Better a patient man than a warrior.”

I believe that I can best illustrate what patience and waiting for the Lord truly look like by relating a personal loss that occurred in our lives approximately three years ago.  My youngest brother Ted, who we all dearly loved, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. During the last three months of his life as the cancer quickly ravaged his body, Ted and I had many intimate conversations together which included searching the scriptures. During these talks I began to marvel how at peace he was with what was happening to him. Not once did he ever complain about pain or dying and leaving his family, especially his young grandchildren, which is what I was thinking about.  He would periodically say to me “Johnny, my journey is shorter than yours, but our destination is the same”. In everything he truly demonstrated God given patience with his lot in life, and waited on the Lord for what was in store for him, his eternal home.

One of Ted’s favorite verses in the Bible was Isaiah 40:31. It now holds significant importance in my life as well. I think of it every day. It reads as follows: “But those who (hope or) wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” While writing Ted’s obituary through tears, I included this passage as a reminder to all who read it that even in the middle of life’s storms, like severe illness, catastrophes of all kinds, the death of a loved one, or even Covid 19, when it seems like everything around us is falling apart, we can still be at peace. If we remain in Christ we will not be overcome. Our lives will not be perfect, but our peace can be.

Wait on the Lord today, and patiently await what He has in store for you.

May He bless you and grant you His peace, today and always.