Romans 12:12 – Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
The poster in the window of the virus-closed restaurant said, “God, please grant me patience. And hurry up!” Maybe that sentiment is one you can relate to as you, too, are eager to get back to work, to reduce the stresses of staying at home all the time, and perhaps just to change the clamor of life around you to one that was familiar before the middle of March.
Patience is very definitely a fruit of the Spirit of God. It includes endurance, tolerance, the lack of complaining, persistence, fortitude and, yes, serenity. Take a few minutes today and read 2 Peter 1:11 and rediscover the gifts God has given that allow you to be “partakers of the divine nature” of God Himself. Make note of the things that Peter says you are to work on: faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. “For all these qualities are yours,” he reminds you.
Give yourself an assessment of how the Holy Spirit is growing you during these days of self-isolation, missing items at the supermarket, and serving up your family’s favorite dinner for the seventh time in just three weeks! God wants to abundantly supply you with all the things Peter has listed, and they are cumulative, just as the plans for reopening America has phases. Leave off one step, and the whole plan collapses.
Pray With Us
Lord God, thank You for the assurances given in Your Holy Word that remind me of the qualities I can have in my life through the work of the Holy Spirit within me. I want to dwell more in the Scriptures, discovering more of Your blessed promises, and to accumulate in my life those things that can be experienced inwardly and also show up externally. Continue to draw me nearer to You, and do not let me lose sight of these precious days when “normal” returns. Thank You for loving me. In Jesus Name,
Amen.
