Category Archives: Patience & Perseverance

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June 15, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Faith & Hope, Miracles, Patience & Perseverance

HE HEALED

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. [Mark 10:51-52 (NLT)]

Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, ran after Jesus. “Son of David, have mercy on me!” he called. The crowd tried to quiet him, but he only shouted louder. No doubt about it, he wanted to be healed and he was. A paralyzed man wanted healing so much that he had his friends carry him to Jesus. When they couldn’t get through the crowd to the Lord, the men climbed onto the roof, made an opening and lowered their friend down to Jesus. Nothing was going to keep him from healing. A bleeding woman spent every penny she had on doctors to no avail. She followed after Jesus, desperately trying to touch his robe in hope of healing. Like the blind beggar and lame man, she truly wanted to be healed.

What a contrast they are to the man who lay by the pool at Bethesda for thirty-eight years. Sick people congregated there every day in hope of a miraculous healing. It was said that an angel of the Lord would come from time to time and stir up the water. Whoever was first to step in that water would be healed instantly. When Jesus came to the pool, he saw the man and asked if he wanted to be healed. It’s odd that the answer wasn’t a resounding “Yes!” Instead, the man complained that he had no one to put him in the water when it rippled.

The sick man by the pool blamed others for his lack of healing; no one would take him to the edge of the pool. Was there no one in thirty-eight years who might have helped the sick man if he’d only asked? Had he been abandoned or had he gotten so comfortable in his misery that he hadn’t requested help? Did he really want to be healed or had he found it easier to be an invalid? Fortunately, Jesus saw and took pity on him, commanded him to pick up his mat and walk. The man obeyed and was healed. If he’d replied, “I can’t; I’m too sick!” he would probably have lain there for the rest of his years.

Some of us may need physical healing; others may need spiritual or emotional healing. Sickness and disease are part and parcel of our imperfect world. No matter how much faith we have or how many doctors or counselors we visit, not every illness will be cured. There is no promise that we’ll stay healthy and death is inevitable. When we need healing, however, we can’t lay helpless by a pool waiting for a miraculous and effortless cure. Healing takes work. That means prayer along with such things as regular medication, physical therapy, a 12-step program, counseling, an exercise regimen or special diet, healthier habits, hospitalization, a support group, or even a simple change in attitude. We can, however, do all of that and still not be healed. Cures are never guaranteed but, if we’re unwilling to put forth some effort, it’s a guarantee that we’ll never be able to stand up, pick up our mats and walk.

The wish for healing has always been half of health. [Seneca]

When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! [John 5:6-9a (NLT)]

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February 18, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Faith & Hope, Patience & Perseverance, Prayer, Trusting God

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. [Psalms 40:1 (NLT)]

I subscribe to several websites that send daily Bible verses or inspirational messages. Not long ago, I unsubscribed from one. For several days, all they’d sent was a blank page. I gave up on them correcting their technical difficulties and cancelled my subscription. My husband, however, did not. Either he had more faith in them or, more likely, didn’t know how to unsubscribe. Either way, he faithfully looked for their messages daily. “Oh ye of little faith!” he said to me today. The messages have returned and are as inspirational as ever!

Even when I didn’t get their emails, their website was still functional. Bible verses were posted daily and I certainly could have made the effort to go to their site every morning. Although I missed the verses, I didn’t make the effort; I wanted the work done for me. Until this morning, it never occurred to me that perhaps, instead of their website having mailing issues, our email program could have been at fault and needed updating before the messages could again be received. I just gave up when I didn’t get what I wanted right away.

God doesn’t ever have technical difficulties or website issues, but sometimes it seems as if He’s forgotten us. At times, His silence seems deafening and we give up on Him. Let’s remember, He never gives up on us; He is always there for us. He sends us messages in His own way and in His own time. While they may seem late to us at times, they’re always on time to Him. If it seems that He is silent, maybe we just have to go to Him to receive His word. Or, just maybe, He’s speaking to us and we’re just not getting His message; we’re experiencing technical difficulties!

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. [Psalm 27:14 (NLT)]

For I am waiting for you, O Lord. You must answer for me, O Lord my God. [Psalm 38:15 (NLT)]

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January 15, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Love & Works, Patience & Perseverance

FOR CAREGIVERS EVERYWHERE

He does not ignore those in trouble. He doesn’t hide from them but listens when they call out to him. [Psalm 22:24 (NCV)]

God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient. [Colossians 1:11 (NCV)]rose - CLIL959-8x10WEB

Cerebral palsy, rheumatoid arthritis, ALS, cancer, MS, Parkinson’s, MD, Down’s, congestive heart disease, Alzheimer’s, stroke: you name it – they’re all burdensome diagnoses. They take their toll not only on those afflicted but also on those who love and care for them. Most of us have all we can do to take care of ourselves, yet there are many who spend their days and nights looking after the needs of others as well as themselves. These caregivers are often emotionally, physically, and even spiritually exhausted. For many, it is a daily struggle to cope with their loved ones’ debilities and demands with no end in sight. For others, the end is painfully clear and their time together is no longer counted in years but rather in weeks, days or even hours.

Father in Heaven, thank you for those who care for and comfort the ill; we offer this prayer for caregivers everywhere. Strengthen and reassure them, free them from worry and fear, and give them patience, not only with their loved ones but also with themselves. Guide them through the many difficult decisions they face daily. Relieve their doubts and anxiety and make your loving presence known. Remind them of the necessity of taking respite time; encourage them to seek help and support from others. May we all be willing to ease their burden if we possibly can.

Though my sickness was a trouble for you, you did not hate me or make me leave. But you welcomed me as an angel from God, as if I were Jesus Christ himself! [Galatians 4:14 (NCV)]

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December 1, 2014

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Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, God's Plan, Patience & Perseverance, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

ON A MISSION FROM GOD

Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!” [Exodus 5:22-23 (NLT)]

Sunday mornings, I take photographs for our church’s website. Last week, due to a cranky computer, only a handful of over 100 photos got edited, the day’s pics temporarily went AWOL, and my three editing programs eventually stopped working. In frustration, after hours of unsuccessful work, I gave up and tried to upload the few photos I’d managed to edit. That’s when I discovered my computer was on strike; there would be no uploading of anything from it! Panic set in and I resorted to what I usually do in such a situation: cry and complain.

Like Moses, I complained to God. If He wanted me to do this job, why was it so difficult? I then did what I should have done at first: asked for God’s blessing and guidance. “Lord, bless my work. If it’s your work as well, show me what I need to do to accomplish it.” After praying, it occurred to me that I didn’t have the only computer in the house! Duh! In fact, not only was my husband’s computer available, but I’d also installed a photo editing program on it several years ago. Using his laptop and my flash drive, I finished the editing in record time and uploaded all of the photos.

Moses was given a mission from God: get Pharaoh to free the Israelites and lead them to the Promised Land. Things weren’t going well; in fact, the situation had only gotten worse and Moses complained to God. After all, if we’re on a mission from God, shouldn’t it be trouble-free? Reading his complaint, I imagined what God was thinking. “Moses, you think this is tough? Just wait until you have Pharaoh’s army chase you into the sea, or you’ve had to provide food and water for over 600,000 men and their families, or listened to forty years of complaints before your task is done! Toughen up, big guy; you’ll encounter greater problems down the road. Trust me; I’ll never let you down. Don’t give up; you’re learning some valuable lessons that will help you in the future!”

Although God gives us tasks, He doesn’t promise they’ll be easy. It’s difficult to reconcile our problems with God’s assignments. As we struggle to achieve His work, however, we learn to depend on God and not ourselves. There’s nothing like a few obstacles to humble a prideful attitude. As He guides us through our difficulties and challenges, we become smarter, stronger and more determined. Moses’s early challenges prepared him for the trials of leading over half a million people as they walked forty years in the wilderness. Mine taught me about prayer, trust, perseverance, and backing up valuable computer files.

By the way, the next morning, my computer woke up in a far better mood. I had to do some minor clean up, delete some old files and back up others, but it is running smoothly again! Coincidence? I think not: more like a lesson from above.

“They’re not gonna catch us. We’re on a mission from God.” [Elwood to Jake in “The Blues Brothers”]

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. [James 1:2-4 (NLT)]

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November 7, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Obedience, Patience & Perseverance, Salvation: A New You, Trusting God

CROSSING THE RIVER

Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don’t hang your head in shame. Plan carefully what you do, and whatever you do will turn out right. Avoid evil and walk straight ahead. Don’t go one step off the right way. [Proverbs 4:25-27 (GNT)]

Obey everything that I have commanded you today. Then you will be able to cross the river and occupy the land that you are about to enter. [Deuteronomy 11:8 (GNT)]

We’d been on horseback for a week and tent camping every night. The last day had been especially challenging with the toughest terrain we’d encountered. A novice rider, I was sore, tired and unsure of myself. The only thing that got me through it was the promise of a luxurious dude ranch at the end of the trail complete with indoor plumbing, a hot shower, clean clothes and a soft bed.

We finally crested the mountain and there, in the valley below, lay the promised ranch. Between us and the ranch, however, was a fast running river. I was frightened when we were told how high the water was, yet I knew there was no turning back. As we descended into the valley, the wrangler gave us explicit instructions. He would lead the way into the shallowest part of the river. We were to follow him exactly and hold steady if the horse began to swim. Above all, we were to keep our eyes looking straight ahead. If we looked down at the rushing water, we’d likely lose our balance and fall off the horse. As the water crept up over my boots, I grew nervous but I trusted our guide’s instructions; he hadn’t steered me wrong yet. I kept reminding myself that a prize awaited me on the other side of the river.

That wrangler’s advice holds true even when we’re not on horseback. Trust your guide and obey him. Plan your steps carefully, look straight ahead, maintain your balance and keep your eye on the goal. Instead of a ranch, however, we can look forward to fellowship with Christ in the Kingdom of God!

…the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above. [Philippians 3:13b-14 (GNT)]

Sovereign Lord, I know that you have shown me only the beginning of the great and wonderful things you are going to do. There is no god in heaven or on earth who can do the mighty things that you have done! Let me cross the Jordan River, Lord, and see the fertile land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon Mountains. [Deuteronomy 3:24-25 (GNT)]

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November 6, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Patience & Perseverance, Sharing Our Faith

BACK IN THE SADDLE

10-21-14 saddle-cropWEBIn every way be an example of doing good deeds. When you teach, do it with honesty and seriousness. [Titus 2:7 (NCV)]

Only a half day into a week-long horseback trek across the Continental Divide, I already regretted doing it. On the spur of the moment, we had joined a group of hearty souls for a “once in a lifetime” adventure. Well, “once in a lifetime” quickly began looking like once too often for me. I was unprepared and inexperienced, the terrain was rough, the mountains steep, and my horse was ornery; there was no way I could survive the challenges of the journey. When the woman in front of me hit her head on a low hanging branch and fell off her horse, my first thought was, “Thank God! She’ll quit now; they’ll take her back to town and I can go with her.” After getting up and dusting herself off, however, she climbed right back onto her mount! It was her example that kept me on my horse for the rest of the day and on the expedition for the rest of the week; if she could do it, so could I!

Paul calls us to be good examples in our lives; after all, a preacher of good works must also be a doer of good works. Christians want to present a wise, patient, loving, faith-filled life to the world. I wonder, however, if this nearly perfect façade sometimes discourages others in their faith journey. They may feel too soiled and marred in comparison to people who appear to be so strong in their faith.

Christians can be good examples by sharing their difficulties and weaknesses as well as their good works. We all have had occasions when we were knocked to the ground. Our response to those personal struggles, be it a troubled past, abuse or addiction, or times of adversity, doubt and despair, can motivate and encourage others. It’s inspiring when one sees how another has picked herself up, wiped off the dirt, and gotten back into the saddle to keep going on her journey!

I learned from the example of my father that the manner in which one endures what must be endured is more important than the thing that must be endured. [Dean Acheson]

But in every way we show we are servants of God: in accepting many hard things, in troubles, in difficulties, and in great problems. … We show we are servants of God by our pure lives, our understanding, patience, and kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by true love, by speaking the truth, and by God’s power. [2 Corinthians 6:4,6-7a (NCV)]