Hebrews 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
In order for us to stay the course with Jesus it is necessary for us to exercise patience in our daily experiences with Him. One of the drawbacks of our modern age is that we have become accustomed to having everything now, so that we are fittingly described as being the "Now" generation. But as the passage for today clearly states, we will have need of patience, so that after God's will has been done, we might receive the promise. In the Christian's life, promises never come to fruition unless the required conditions are met, very much the same as when our salaries are paid in the temporal realm, only after the required work is accomplished.
Sometimes in our experiences with The Lord, we suffer bitter disappointments of fond hopes and dreams, because in certain instances God chooses to lead us in a different path than what we were expecting and planning for. And if we are not very careful to stay the course by the exercise of patience, we can throw away valuable opportunities, privileges, and experiences by rashly giving up in midstream.
When patience is lacking in our lives, we become much more vulnerable to the temptations of satan, who specializes in so-called immediate answers to our prayers, without any effort or patient dependence on God, who knows no haste or delay. It was one such temptation that caused the overthrow of king Saul, who was instructed to wait upon the prophet Samuel, so that the relevant sacrifices could be made before entering into battle with the Philistines. Let's read:
1st Samuel 13:5 And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel" .... 6 "Then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. 7 "As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8 And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not" .... 9 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. 10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came" ... 13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. 14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue" ....
In our day when everything is being done at lightening speed, the patience that is essential for spiritual growth and stability is often looked upon as something archaic, for like Saul, we have become accustomed to deadlines and quick fixes, so that the manner in which God works irks us, and drives us to make hasty or rash decisions. But God does everything in the fulness of time, and therefore it's necessary that we learn the all-important lesson of waiting upon Him.
Whenever we are in those midnight experiences of life, when difficulties and perplexing situations seem to hedge us in with no apparent end in sight, it's important for us to remember that the temptations of satan, for us to cast away our confidence in God, are strongest just before the dawn of day. But if we stay the course with Christ, He usually turns our captivity into stunning victories, so that our mourning is turned into joy, and our relationship with Christ deepens more than ever before, thereby stabilizing and strengthening us to overcome even more difficult hurdles.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to wait, and not lose patience with God, for if we are humble and patient enough to let Him lead, we will find that all of His promises to us will be fulfilled in due season, according to His good and perfect will. Let's read:
Psalms 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!