The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:25-26)
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)
I am not patient. I get an idea in my brain and want immediate results. When I don’t get those immediate results, I tend to get antsy and start jumping the gun on the project/thought/idea/whatever.
My goal the past few weeks has been to work on my lack of patience. If you know me at all, I think you can guess how it’s going. (hint: Not.Well.At.All.)
But one thing that finally got me to understand the whole “being patient with God” was realizing I was looking at it totally wrong.
It’s not about me being patient. It’s that God is being patient with me. He is waiting for ME to quiet down and really listen.
Remember that verse from my blog post “A Gentle Whisper“?
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 11-13)
That’s how God usually comes to us – that gentle whisper. How can I hear God’s message if I’m running around?
On Monday night, God reminded me to be patient and wait for the message He has for me.
On my drive home from work, I ended up behind an ambulance for most of the trip. The emergency lights weren’t on, it appeared to be a transport. As the miles passed, I saw the woman seated next to the patient constantly touching him. She was stroking his face and arms so lovingly it brought tears to my eyes. She would adjust his sheets and then look into his face and say something with a gentle smile then would go back to touching him gently.
I prayed for them over and over as I drove. Not only for her to have the strength she would need on what I believe would be a difficult journey (the glimpses I got of the patient made me believe her path won’t be easy) but I also gave thanks for that glimpse into their precious moments.
She gave me strength. She gave me courage. And humbled me by the grace I witnessed.
God’s message to me? It’s quite simple.
Love.
Always remember God’s love for me. It’s easy to forget sometimes.
That woman and her husband/brother/friend was the perfect reminder. I could have passed that ambulance at any point, it was going exactly the speed limit. But I refused to join the mad rush home. Instead I stayed behind the ambulance and prayed for them, for me, for those I love. That time spent in prayer and reflection was exactly what I needed.
To slow down. To focus on my blessings and thank God with every breath for all the wonderful things in my life.
Thank you, God, for the reminder to slow down. To be patient and still so I can hear Your voice in the gentle whispers around me. Amen.