Patience In The Night 10

August 30, 2013

Sometimes it seems like spiritual dryness is overwhelming. Or like spiritual progress is all too slow. Few things are more frustrating than feeling like I am being withheld from a good thing. Impatience comes from a lack of faith that God is working for the best and that every minute I spend waiting in the dark for some light form the Lord will work for me eternal gain.

There are two ways that I should not respond in impatience. The first is that of despondency. There is a spiritual depression which is healthy, and one that is not. If I have sinned, then a prayer of Psalm 51 is good. James 4:8, 9: "Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom." But this mourning is supposed to have an effect of repentance. And in verse 10, he says, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." Instead of being depressed over our sins OR our plans, we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of the Lord.

The second is that of overexertion. Sometimes if God isn't acting the way we think He should, we will step in and take action ourselves. In John 18:10, as Judas Iscariot and the Jews come to arrest Jesus, Peter attempts to defend Jesus, cutting the ear off a Roman servant. During all of Jesus' ministry, Peter had tried to fit Jesus into his own view of the Messiah. And when Judas began to disrupt Peter's plan, he felt that he had to take matters into his own hands. But Jesus made it clear that He will do His Father's will.

Whether I can see the end of God's giant plan or not, I know that God works all things to His will. I cannot imagine being Peter, knowing that his Lord was being dragged away to be killed. Even when Jesus doesn't seem close to us, I should trust that He works even His absence for the greatest gain.

~The Fragile Grey Heart

Philippians 4:6, 7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."