God lives and works today.
The Bible means it when it describes God
as the Father of patience.
There has never been anyone more patient than
He.
We should be ashamed in view of our
own impatience and inability to wait.
Listen to today's meditation by Basilia Schlink called,
Jesus is Waiting.
Haven't we all caught ourselves at times being
impatient?
Impatience is a characteristic that goes along with
pride, for proud and haughty people don't know
how to wait.
The mark of the high and mighty is
that they expect everything they demand to be
carried out the minute they open their mouths.
They can't wait.
They can't endure any opposition or delay, and
they can't bear to have their will be
crossed.
One day I was struck by a verse
in Revelation.
Chapter 11 verse 15 tells about a mighty
heavenly choir which is praising God and singing,
The kingdom of the world has become the
kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he shall reign forever and ever.
The word has moved me deeply, for it
didn't say that the world will become God's
kingdom.
No, it has become.
Jesus is already Lord and King, and nevertheless
He doesn't practice His kingship.
That was inconceivable for me.
Furthermore, Jesus patiently bears being rejected, hated, mocked,
treated shamefully, and disgraced.
He waits, as it is written in the
Scriptures, until all of His enemies are made
His footstool.
I was overwhelmed by the evidence of Jesus'
humility, that He can wait so long and
humbly endure the abuse of His enemies, not
only long ago on His way to the
cross, but today too.
He need only say one word, and all
of His opponents would be instantly crushed and
destroyed.
But Jesus waits, and continues to wait, so
that many may still be saved.
This picture of the waiting Jesus helped me
to fight against my own impatience, and to
become free from it, for I don't have
to wait to ask for Jesus' help.
He's our mighty King and Redeemer, upon whom
we can call for help right now.
We are now entering the last times of
which the Bible speaks in Revelation 13, saying
that we will all need to have endurance
and faith.
Everything depends upon our learning and practicing patience
now, day by day, so that when the
hour of trial comes upon the whole world,
we will be able to endure patiently, with
humble hearts, until Jesus comes again.
And then He will lift us out of
the tribulation, and establish His glorious kingship.