10/15-16 - Psalm 37:7-8 - What's the effect of Impatience?

⁷ Be still before the Lord,

and wait patiently for him;

⁸ Refrain from anger,

and forsake wrath.

Do not fret—

it leads only to evil.

Psalm 37

 

I find it ironic that “patience” and “patients” are homophones. They are words that sound (phonic) the same (homo). But isn’t it ironic since most patients don’t have much patience!

 

They understandably want to get well. They naturally want to go home. Right now, thank you!

 

When we’re in any kind of bondage, we’re a patient, of sorts. We’re sick. We’re broken. We’re wounded. We need healing. But, as I just said, most patients don’t have much patience. We want to get well. We want to be free. Right now, thank you!

 

If we’re honest, though, we know that spiritual healing – like physical healing – is usually a step-by-step journey. It’s road construction. It takes work. And as today’s sign conveys, we might need to move slowly and carefully for the next several miles.

 

But … do you know the good part of this sign? It’s a promise! It’s a promise that in the future, the work zone will end, the road will become smooth, and you’ll be able to travel freely again.

 

But here’s the question: Are you willing to be patient while you’re a patient?

 

The alternative, of course, is bitterness. It is anger at God. It is blaming others. It’s sinking deeper and deeper into pits of despair.

 

Now, in situations like grief, it’s normal to cry out in immediate despair. We just got sucker punched by life. The wind has been knocked out of us. We’re gasping for breath, trying to stand again. And when this is our situation, it’s natural to wonder where God is in all of this! The normal stages of grief include anger, doubt, denial, and despair.

 

In these normal but painful times, we have to be patient with ourselves. We have to forgive ourselves for being angry and bitter. You have to forgive yourself for doubting the kindness of God! Those emotions are real. And God readily forgives you. He understands. He is … patient with you.

 

But … it’s helpful to stop and clarify what we’re really angry about …

 

When someone dies, for example, what we’re really angry at is this messed up world of sin and death. God created good. Sin continually unravels God’s glorious intent, and death is the painful fruit.

 

So we’re angry – not at God – but a painful world mired in sin and death. We’re angry also at a devil who twists, tempts, corrupts, and destroys. Satan lies. But God understands – and forgives – because God’s angry at this world of sin, death, and the devil too. The things that are enslaving and discouraging you are not God’s plan.

 

Yet in the heat of our despair, we may occasionally shake our fist at the heavens. “If you were really a good God …,” starts one sentence. “If you really are in control …,” rattles another. Well, he is a good God. He is in control. But he’s also a gentleman. (You’ve heard me say that before.) Yes, this world can be messy, but be patient. When the pain, grief, and furor die down, we’ll realize God’s goodness again. Indeed, as our verse for today says, “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil.

 

Summary? First, we have to be patient with ourselves. Then once that immediate storm dies down, we need to be patient with the healing process. We need to learn again how to forgive … rather than hold grudges. How to love … rather than remain angry. How to hope … rather than doubt and despair. How to dance with joy … rather than crumble in sorrow.  How to venture forth courageously … rather than be handcuffed by fear. How to accept God’s grace … rather than be mired in guilt.

 

A quick story to end this …

 

On occasion I’ve taken road trips in the spring. If I start out in the South and drive north, there are fewer and fewer flowers every hundred miles. It’s like I’m travel back in time. From spring back to darkened winter. But when I travel from north to south, it’s like spring accelerates. In the course of a day, I go from bitter winter to glorious spring.

 

God invites you on that trip south! When it feels like winter, it’s painful. Be patient and keep driving south. The road construction will end and the flowers will blossom again!

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s put a magnet

by the “S” on his compass

(I’m voting for flowers,

deciding on patience and

pointing intentionally south!)