Most of us struggle with that thing called patience. When our days are calm and breezy, we’re pretty good at it. We go with the flow and let the world just do its thing. When we’re tired or busy or stressed though, it can be another thing altogether. We might not even recognize our short, abrupt responses to people we love, or our quick irritation with slow traffic, or anything that gets in our way. We probably aren’t even aware of our impatience until it gets to a place where we’re rolling over everyone in our path. We simply have no time for them. We have things to do and they are obstacles we don’t want to navigate.
Sometimes we become impatient with God. We’ve been praying about the same difficult situation for some time. Not only has it not resolved, it’s actually worse. We can’t see how it’s going to get better. We don’t understand. Why hasn’t God just taken care of things? Waiting never feels like a friend. After all, we’re geared toward action. We want to make a difference, effect a change, get things moving. We’ve prayed. We’ve paced the floor. We’ve looked for solutions.
Here’s the kind of prayer I can imagine putting out there when my patience is running low, in fact it’s on fumes.
Dear Lord,
I need some patience,
Breathe in, breathe out, repeat.
I need to learn from setbacks
And not take them as defeat.
I need to see the good
As I wait expectantly,
Because the huffing and the puffing
Just don’t do a thing for me.
I need to give myself a break,
When what I plan falls through,
And I need to ask forgiveness,
For the impulsive things I do.
So Lord, I ask you kindly,
For a patient mind and heart,
And if I may, I’d like to say,
It’s not too soon to start!
Amen!
When your patience is practically gone, it’s helpful to stop everything and wait for that moment when you can truly sense God’s presence. When that happens, pour out your heart to Him and breathe in HIs precious Spirit. Trust that He hears your prayers and that He is working even now to help you get to a better place. You may find that you suddenly have more patience than you thought. If so, it won’t be long before you’re fully ready to move on. May God bless you with patience in every difficulty, as you trust in Him to be with you every step of the way.