You Control Your Patience: Be still…and wait for the LORD

Controlling what You Can
in this Uncontrollable World

Part 8

You Control Your Patience: Be Still..and Wait Patiently for the LORD

The world around you may be out of your control, but you can still thrive when you choose to control what you can. You, and you alone, control yourself. As we continue to follow David’s instruction in Psalm 37, remember…

Only you can control:
Your Foundation: the LORD is in Control
Your Focus: Fret not. Trust in the LORD
Your Actions: Do Good
Your Mindset: Dwell in the Land
Your Thoughts: Feed on the LORD’s Faithfulness
Where You Seek Happiness: Delight in the LORD
Where You Entrust Your Life

We may not like to admit it, but we can also control our patience.

:7 “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him…”

I’m sure we can all agree: IT. IS. HARD. TO. BE. PATIENT! Here’s my usual version of patience, “OK. I’ve waited long enough, now my time table says it’s time to act!!” I consider myself to be patient when I wait a measly 5 minutes with a right spirit. David waited in his exile for 8-13 long years!! Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps there’s also a secret to patience in the beginning of this verse: “Be still before the LORD…” Our temporal minds struggle with being still and patient in difficulties. Our minds are geared towards “Fix it…Now!” Yet our gracious LORD is doing a work—a perfect work—in our lives. Most of the time, I don’t understand. Why did God allow Saul to continue for so long? There are oodles of situations in history that are hard to understand why God allowed what He allowed and for the length of time He allowed it. But that’s where I must come quietly before the LORD and be still. To sit in His presence and reground my thoughts that my God is good because He said He’s good. His ways are perfect, because He said His ways are perfect. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8,9. Such reminders stop my mouth, and I am still before an all-knowing God Who loves me more than any earthly mind can imagine. This requires faith. It’s not what you see, it’s what you know to be true. Because my thoughts aren’t God’s thoughts, I don’t SEE it as good or kind. But faith reminds me that God declares that He is good and working good. Faith sits me down before the LORD and stills my complaints. If we could just be still before the LORD and hear his voice saying, “Look at me— right here, in my eyes. I’ve got this. I’ve got you.”

Your wait might be short. Your wait might be long. Your wait might be until the light of eternity dawns. But wait patiently. Plop yourself down in the presence of the LORD and be still. Just gaze into the truth of the LORD’s character. Believe it even when you don’t see it or feel it. Be still in the presence of the One Whose way is perfect, Who is establishing you on your crazy journey, and loves you unconditionally.

This week, focus on controlling your patience.
Each day, sit still in the LORD’s presence and bask in His care.
Put your watch away! God’s timing is perfect, and He will do His work in His time.

You can thrive in this crazy world when you choose to control your patience. Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for Him.