Patience With Purpose
Hello there, friend! Goodness gracious, why don’t you just pull yourself right on up to this ol’ front porch swing and settle in real good, because we’re about to go strollin’ through a story that’s richer than blackberry cobbler fresh out of the oven and a whole lot steadier than that ol’ barnyard donkey that insists on standin’ in the same spot every day like it owns that place. Some seasons of life feel a whole lot like tryin’ to convince a stubborn ol’ raccoon that the trash can ain’t no buffet. You clap your hands, you stomp your feet like you’re practicin’ for a tap dancin’ show, you holler real loud like your callin’ somebody about a mile away, you even pray real hard, and that ol’ critter just stares at you like it’s plum outta your mind, for sure. That’s exactly why Psalm 37:7-8 speaks right to our hearts sayin’, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him… Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret, it only causes harm.” And right beside it, Psalm 37:9 reminds us, “For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.” To deepen it even more, Isaiah 64:4 tells us, “God acts for the one who waits for Him.” Friend, waitin’ ain’t no kind of weakness. It’s plum real holy strength dressed up in patience.
Now, if you’ve ever watched airport news segments, you know folks get mighty cranky when flights get delayed. People pace, sigh, fuss, cuss, and look like a flock of irritated geese that lost their migration map. Truth is, delays happen everywhere in life. Some we handle with grace. Others feel like someone moved our finish line without ever even askin’. And when we feel real wronged, overlooked, or plain ol’ frustrated, we start prayin’ for God to intervene right quick. That’s sho’-nuff’ exactly what David was wrestlin’ with in Psalm 37. He was lookin’ at the righteous sufferin’ while the wicked strutted around like an ol’ rooster that thinks it owns the whole farm.
David’s counsel is real simple but sho’-nuff’ mighty. Rest in the Lord. Wait patiently. Not fretfully. Not angrily. Not anxiously. Patient waitin’ is active waitin’. It means prayin’, seekin’, trustin’, and keepin’ your hands busy with righteousness while your heart stays settled in God’s timin’. It plum means rememberin’ that God sees what you can’t, knows what you don’t, and is workin’ in ways you ain’t even imagined yet.
So, friend, if your plans have been delayed, rerouted, or turned upside down like an ol’ squirrel that fell out of the wrong tree, don’t be frettin’. Let your waitin’ become a sacred place where you seek God’s will and find joy tucked right inside it. Faith ain’t idle. Faith works while it waits.
Father, teach me to rest in You. Help me wait patiently, trust deeply, and walk calmly even when life feels delayed. Keep my heart from fretfulness and fill it with Your peace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Alright now, friend, as you wander into whatever is waitin’ for you today, hold this truth into your heart like you’d grasp a real warm biscuit wrapped in a napkin. Patient waitin’ is like a river that keeps flowin even when rocks git in the way and try to slow it down. It’s like a wise ol’ hoot owl perched way high in a pine tree, watchin’ the night without fear. It’s like a lantern glowin’ steady in a storm, refusin’ to flicker out. When you rest in the Lord, He steadies your steps, strengthens your spirit, and turns delays into divine appointments. Keep waitin’. Keep trustin’. And let God do the mighty work only He can do.
With joy,
Gwen
