Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Four days into this series I’ve discovered it’s time to take a good look at my prayer life. how about you?
I like to think of prayer as a conversation with God. I grew up thinking that I could only say certain things to God. Only the prayers were allowed. In third grade, I had trouble memorizing a certain prayer (and I never did get it right). I worried about it. I remember feeling a pressure that I know now didn’t come from God. I dreaded having to recite the prayer in class. Boy oh boy! The enemy starts on us early.
The truth is that God doesn’t want us offering Him rote prayers, memorized word for word because of some religious rule. God wants us to share what is on our hearts, good or bad, pleasant or poor (Psalm 34:6). Just like a dear friend would, He wants to comfort us. That is love.
Good conversations make good communicators. In the give and take dynamic of the conversation, that includes good listeners. And why not think of prayer as a conversation with God? When we have something good to share, a decision to make, or a disappointment to process, don’t we want to share it with a friend? Talk about these things with your Good Friend, Jesus, and wait for what He has to say on the matter.
We can’t hear if we aren’t listening. This is one way the Holy Spirit works in us to cultivate His fruit (John 14:23-26). Let’s listen for His still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-13). In this way, we develop patience. This is the tough one for me. I’m not a patient person, always wanting to move forward. That’s the ADD in me, but that’s a story for another day. According to Google, patience is having the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angrey or upset. Yeah…
In an old TV show, Kung Fu, a young Shaolin Monk learns patience while developing specific skills in the martial art of Kung Fu. His mentor would say “patience young grasshopper.” Ever feel like the young grasshopper, trying to be patient in the learning? In the waiting? In the trials of life? I don’t know about you but I don’t have that capacity on my own. in some circumstances, my patience is very short. But, it’s not as short as it used to be or as long as it will be. Just like “young grasshopper” in the TV series, patience is developed over time.
As we travel through life there will be bumps in the road, traffic delays, overbooked flights, late arrivals, sickness, loss, and disappointment (1 Peter 1:6-7). It is through these trials we learn to rely on Jesus and walk through them because He is walking us (Deuteronomy 31:6). This is His promise to believers, often repeated in God’s word.
Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and receive the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to begin working in you and watch your heart change as His fruit grows. You will gain patience.
Go to the Table of Contents to read more posts in this series as they go live.
It’s October so this must be time for 31 Days of Five Minute Friday Free-Writes. The event is hosted by Kate Motaung over at Five Minute Fridays. We write daily for five minutes, or maybe a bit longer. The point is to write. Kate provides writers with a one-word writing prompt each day. Today the prompt is LISTEN.
Picture credit – Canva with a little help from me.
Once again you’ve nailed it. One definition for patience that I like is, “Accepting a difficult situation from God without giving Him a deadline to remove it.” Easy to say, hard to do.
Yes it is! Sounds like there’s a little surrender sprinkled in that definition, too.
It makes such a difference when we realise that we don’t have to use special words with God but that we can go to him and talk naturally, and he always loves to listen!
Yes, we can tell Him anything and that means so much. Thank you for visiting.
Your post inspired some thought, and this sonnet. I’d like to ask your pardon, in advance, for the mildly offcolour phrase in the last line; it’s the only thing that both fit the rhyme scheme and got the final message across.
I’m patient now, here in the time
of my very last hurrah.
There are yet some hills to climb,
but que, sera, sera.
I can by main force push the pain,
but cannot shrink the tumours;
their fate doth with God remain,
so I hope He’s in good humour!
Sure, I will be very glad
if He chooses for me, healing,
but if not, then I won’t be mad,
or nursing my hurt feelings.
So I’ll be patient, will not prod,
’cause I don’t want to piss off God.
#1 at FMF this week.
https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2019/10/your-dying-spouse-680-god-of-love-and.html
Andrew, thanks for another good one! I agree with your strategy, too. Thanks for stopping by. Blessings, my friend.
I LOVED your post from beginning to end. I immediately thought of Kung Fu when you said patience little grasshopper. I always like when people post their photo- it is nice to see what the writer looks like. I agree 100% with everything you said and it is wonderful that you shared the gospel so easily. Great Bible references also. I really enjoyed reading your blog. Will you read mine? I am 20.
Thanks, again, Terri. I’m glad you enjoyed reading the post. Your kind words are appreciated.