This morning my sister ended her daily morning text with, “Anyway, one day at a time with patience.” That is also my story because I am nine weeks away from a surgery I would be happy if I could have tomorrow but I must wait on the surgeon’s schedule. I wonder how many of us and how often we find ourselves living “one day at a time with patience”? I want to teach and remind my heart some truths from the Word to help me do well with “one day at a time with patience.”
Job’s Patience
“. . . Ye have heard of the patience of Job . . .” (James 5:11). Job suffered much. It wasn’t from his wrong doing, but because God allowed Satan to bring immense sufferings to prove Job’s faithfulness. Job didn’t understand why it all happened, but this is what he did: “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped . . . In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:20, 22). James says Job had patience. He experienced horribly trying circumstances but worshipped God through it. What an example Job is for me.
God’s Sovereignty
Patience involves waiting for a different outcome than I’m currently experiencing. If I really believe God is sovereign and that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28), then I can patiently wait for however long it takes for Him to bring about the outcome HE desires. His way is always best and His timing as well even when I don’t understand, like Job didn’t understand.
God’s Patience
“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth” (Psalms 86:15). Longsuffering means patient. Think about how patient God has been first through out history and now with you and with me personally. We experience His patience every single day. How trivial and easy my patience becomes when I compare it to the immensity of His. So when I find myself becoming impatient, I realize I’m wanting MY way more then waiting for His way. This should break my heart and bring me conviction and repentance, leading me right back to patience.
Learning Patience
How do I actually learn patience? “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:2-3). Patience comes about when I choose to be joyful in the midst of trying circumstances (which are what temptations are in this verse). I choose to trust in the sovereign Almighty God, Who lovingly directs the lives of those who are His. This is the way patience is developed in my life? Yes! To get there, I am to be joyful when my situation is hard? Yes, that’s exactly what Scripture tells me.
Practically speaking for me counting it all joy in this situation is to be thankful for modern medicine and the availability of surgery to help me. It is to be excited about the changes my body will experience when healed from the surgery. For the next nine weeks, my mind could gravitate to all the unpleasant parts of surgery and recovery and the “what ifs” of it. But that is a spirit of fear not joy.
Living It Out
These are what I am taking as my truths to live one day at a time with patience. Are you in a place where you are waiting and need to live one day at a time with patience? Maybe my Scriptural focus these next 9 weeks could be helpful for you. Perhaps there are other Scriptures the Lord would put on your heart that would be what you relate to and need through your “one day at a time with patience.” Whatever the case may be, I encourage you that taking “one day at a time with patience” is a solid, living in faith, response to circumstances you would change now, if you could.