Welcome to in Bolden, where through Bible scripture and commentary we seek a bold fate, and in doing so we share the amazing love and message of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hello, I'm Chris Shetter. I'm an ordinary Christian seeking a deeper relationship with our extraordinary God. Won't you join me?
Hi friends, are you looking for a life full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and that ever-elusive self-control? Please join me over the next few weeks as we take a look at the Bible's verse in Galatians 5, 22 to 23, so we can experience the Christian life in full bloom. Quite possibly, the greatest lesson in the Bible about patience and endurance, or lack thereof, is the one of Abraham and Sarah. The Lord came to Abraham and promised that he be the father of literally billions, in Genesis 15-5, and yet for years and years, Abraham remained childless.
He began to doubt God's faithfulness and his promises, so he and Sarah decided impatiently to take matters into their own hands and create a child of Abraham through a slave girl. That child, Ishmael, became the thorn in the Israelite side until this very day. And even though they tried to circumvent God, God still came through on his promise with the birth of their own son, even after Sarah was determined to be post-child-birthing age. You see, just like us, they had hoped they had endured until they didn't.
Abraham and Sarah created their own timeline based on their inaccurate belief and the limited power of God. When was the last time you said, it's too late, it'll never happen. Although what you have prayed for might not come to fruition as you have asked. God is still working with you in that situation.
And sometimes it seems you've been listening and waiting patiently yet at every turn you feel thwarted, abused, attacked, and broken. Friends it's time like these that are faith is tested, and you are not alone. Each one of the apostles, men who had spent hours and days and years in the very presence of God, would have to then learn to keep trusting and keep enduring. Charles Stanley in that book, 30 Life Principles, says, he is lining up your circumstances in a way that is better than you could ever imagine.
When you wait for the Lord, you should look forward to what he will do with joyful expectation and confident hope, because he is providing the very best for you. You see, God wants the very best fruit to come out of you. Not just a regular old red apple, but the juiciest red apple you've ever tasted. He wants trees rooted deeply in him, watered richly by him, and grown in his beautiful light.
That means in those times of trials, long suffering, we don't let go. We don't try to go it alone. Psalm 41 through 2 says, I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Our hope can endure because we know he is a God who gives generously. He will provide in our darkest times.
We need only look for him in the circumstance. We patiently wait for our hope to bloom into something bigger and more beautiful, which may be when we finally are home in heaven. You notice that we take action while waiting? Patiently is an adverb.
It describes an activity. While we endure through our trial, we pray, we seek his love, we experience his joy and peace. We watch for ways he is using us to help others. John Piper once said, the key to patience is faith in all embracing, all guiding, all wise, all gracious providence of God to transform all the interruptions of his children into rewards.
Can we not then write it in big letters as a heading over our lives and over every frustration? Satan, you've meant that for evil and God meant it for good. Friends, we are all waiting, waiting for small things and very large things. We are waiting for the disappearance of pain and the appearance of our hopes come alive.
At times we say we wait to feel more complete or more alive. And God is saying, be patiently waiting, watching, learning, trusting. He is doing great things in you. I leave you with this verse from James 5, 10 through 11.
Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Amen. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Unbolden Podcast. Be sure to follow along so you don't miss any episode. And check out my blog at Unbolden.net.