Practicing Patience
Surrendering In The Storm (Job)
Glad to be back, we missed you last week. What a great vacation we had! Robin and I traveled 11 hours in a van each way with 4 teenage girls and one 6 year old girl. I discovered that you can learn a lot from your children ? like how much patience you have! I'm just kidding ? the girls were great and we had a blast, but an interesting thing happened while we were gone. I had already sketched out a series of messages that looked at some heroes of the faith from the Old Testament, to examine their qualities of patience and endurance.
So, while we vacationing, I read an article titled Looking Like Jesus, by Dr. Dallas Willard. His contention is that the gospel was designed to be available to everyone, for the purpose of transforming everyone into the likeness of Jesus Christ. (Do you agree with that?) What makes it possible for ordinary people to live daily lives from the abundance of the kingdom of heaven - and the only thing that makes it possible - is living a life of faith and love. Yet we are not, by nature, faithful, loving people - so how do we become so? Dr. Willard echoes the Gospel teachings that we must partner with God in putting on Christ in our lives. And in the process of spiritual transformation, three aspects are presented by the Scriptures as essential:
- We regularly and intentionally engage in spiritual disciplines - those activities that we can do that make room for God to impart grace and accomplish in us what we cannot do. (Ex: Studying the Scriptures, fasting, prayer, practicing silence and solitude, service, etc.)
- We must open our lives to the Holy Spirit - interacting with God's Spirit in us and around us. The results of walking in the Spirit are the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit in us that draws us to Christ and into His likeness. So we don't effort the manufacture of spiritual gifts or fruit ? we effort a closer walk and relationship with the Holy Spirit and He produces that fruit and those gifts in us.
- Spiritually transformed people who look like Jesus must learn to faithfully accept everyday problems and endure them with patience.
It was from that spark that God has fanned a flame in my heart - because by experience and observation, perhaps the greatest threat to Christian transformation for most people is the lack of patience. Think about it, in what other ways are we Christians so un-like Jesus and yet so willing to admit it? We say things like:
"I don't have any patience!"
"I'm not praying for patience ? you never know how God might answer that prayer!"
"I was doing OK until blank happened ? then I just wanted to go Aaahhh!"
"I am not a patient person."
T/S: Any of this sounding familiar? Our spiritual lives ? just like other areas of our existence ? get grounded when we encounter less-than-ideal circumstances. We get stressed out, we get distracted, we get angry, we get frustrated, we get despondent. And we lose sight of the big picture ? of the main goal that we are trying to achieve. In this case - becoming more like Jesus. So I did two things - looked up every verse in the Bible that mentions patience and looked up the word patience in the dictionary.
Patience
(Pa"tience) (?), n.[F. patience, fr. L. patientia.]
1. The state or quality of being patient; the power of suffering with fortitude; uncomplaining endurance of evils or wrongs, as toil, pain, poverty, insult, oppression, calamity, etc. "Strengthened with all might, . . . unto all patience and long-suffering." Col. i. 11. "I must have patience to endure the load." Shak. "Who hath learned lowliness From his Lord's cradle, patience from his cross." Keble.
2. The act or power of calmly or contentedly waiting for something due or hoped for; forbearance. "Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all." Matt. xviii. 29.
3. Constancy in labor or application; perseverance. "He learned with patience, and with meekness taught." Harte.
As for the Bible verses, I won't share them all with you right now. But I was amazed at the volume of instruction in the Scriptures regarding our patience. It is a quality used to describe God's character, much like holiness and justice and love. It is the vehicle offered as the way to blessing, like faith and obedience. It is the virtue used to distinguish followers of Jesus from others, like mercy and compassion and goodness. In short, the Bible instructs us repeatedly, to cultivate patience and live patiently.
And so together over the next weeks, we are going to examine 6 lives from the Old Testament and see what we can learn about Practicing Patience. It seemed silly to begin anywhere other than with the life of Job.
The gist of Job's story is known to most people - a blessed and prosperous man loses everything. Satan is allowed by God to try Job's faith, and does so by destroying his livestock, his barns, his home and finally by killing all of Job's children. In the midst of these unbelievable circumstances, Job holds to his faith steadfastly. Then in the final insult, Satan causes Job's health to falter, and he is covered with painful boils from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. He was reduced to sitting in ashes, scraping and scratching at his infested skin with a piece of pottery. It was in this scene of utter destruction and humiliation that Job's wife advised him to "Curse God and die." (Job 2:9)
Much of the book of Job is directed to an ongoing conversation that Job has with 3 friends named Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, who counsel and offer advice to the besieged man. Their advice? Repent of your sins because you must surely have done something awful to be punished by God like this. Through it all, Job refuses to abandon his trust in God, or to admit that his pain is merely God's justice for someone unconfessed sin. Over and over, his 3 friends maintain that a just God would only allow pain like this if it were deserved.
Job argues with the men, that his suffering was not a punishment from God, and that if he could just ask God ? he could surely find out why he was enduring such horrible pain and heartache. In fact, this book becomes for us who read it today, a powerful example of how it is alright to question God and hold onto our faith. In the end, Job does get to face God ? but his question of ?Why, Lord?' goes unanswered. Instead, what Job receives is God's almighty proclamation of His sovereignty and majesty, and Job is both humbled by God's presence and rewarded for his patience and faithfulness. All that He had was restored and Job lived out his life on earth blessed and prosperous.
The legendary trials that Job endured, allow us to learn some vital reminders to latch onto when we need patience.
Stay focused on your character, because what's happening on the inside is always more important than what's happening on the outside
There's an old Chinese proverb that says: One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life. It is not advice that we are very good at practicing, in large measure because we have become a people unconcerned with character. We are results oriented. Productivity driven. If it works - do it.
(Ex) That's why we are saddled with political and business leaders of limited ethical standards. Enron and United Way and Worldcom will forever remind us of the moral bankruptcy in our business climate. From Watergate to Monica Lewinsky we endure the political scandals that point out the lack of character among our nation's leaders. As a population, we are divided on abortion, gay marriage and human cloning/ stem cell research - because our values are corporately disconnected from our behavior.
T/S: In short, we like to say that we believe one way, but leave open the possibility to act another way if that becomes necessary or advantageous. That is an issue of character .. or the lack thereof. We are seduced in our character by the immorality and greed of our culture, just like the woman in the Indecent Proposition.
(ill) When asked by an unscrupulous, but wealthy man if she would sleep with him, she replied "No way!" But the man countered, "Would you sleep with me for a million dollars?" And she reconsidered, "Well, for a million dollars, I suppose I could .. once." So the man again countered, ?Well, would you sleep with me for 10,000 dollars?" ?Absolutely not," she answered. ?What do you think I am?" "Ma'am," the wealthy man said. ?We have already established what you are. Not we are only negotiating the price."
T/S: That is the end result for every one of us, when we become focused on external circumstances rather than internal conditions. We value honesty, until a little white lie is needed to comfortably escape an unwanted social engagement. We despise the idea of others talking about us behind our back, but freely discuss the latest events in their lives with our friends. We value kindness and gentleness as fruits of the Spirit, but give no thought to a sarcastic rebuke of a sloppy waiter or giving a tongue-lashing to some incompetent who deserves it.
For me, perhaps the most powerful reminder from Job's life and story is how he stayed doggedly fixed on his character before God. Regardless of what suffering, of what pain he faced - Job refused to be swayed from his belief that his heart and it's condition was of more importance than his body and circumstances.
"As God lives, who has taken away my justice, And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God in my nostrils, My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit. Far be it from me That I should say you are right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live. Job 27:2-6 (NKJV)
We have, even in the church, moved too far away from God's foundation - which is the interior is always more important than the exterior. The condition of the heart always trumps the condition of the body. In fact, what we learn is that trials to our patience are necessary for us to develop the character of Christ.
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4 (NKJV)
There is God's will for my life and yours - that we become perfect and lack nothing. That is, that we become like Christ. And the testing and development of our patience is a necessary ingredient to that process. Don't you think I've had some long talks on this verse with my friend Dave Scalf?! Dave and Amy and their three kids moved back to Winchester from a ministry in Phoenix to begin a new church - 1 year ago this week. But 7 months ago, this week, their son Isaac was hospitalized with what came to be diagnosed as HLH. Isaac remains in ICU today, fighting for his life. While he's been in the hospital .. Dave's dad has died and his mother has suffered a massive heart attack and contracted the flesh-eating infection necrotizing fascitits. This week she began dialysis to combat the kidney failure that has beset her as she begins her 6th month in ICU.
T/S: Dave jokes that under the circumstances, he's never been more joyful. In seriousness, he says that he is learning that it's what happens on the inside that is always more important than what happens on the outside.
Where are you focused?
Intentionally practice acceptance, because you don't deserve better.
If you stop and think about it, what is at the root of our impatience? Why do we chaff under trial? Is it because we think that there is a magical formula for living life without ever experiencing discomfort or pain? Is it because we don't really know the reality of disease and trouble and death that exist on earth? Why do we go to such lengths to avoid any deviation from what we think is best or what we want?
I am discovering that it is because we are hung up on fairness. We think that we know best ? and that we are qualified to determine what is best ?. And ultimately, that we deserve better than what we are receiving. We don't say that out loud. What we say is:
"It's not fair!"
"What did I do to deserve such rude treatment?"
?I didn't do anything to them."
"All I do is try my hardest to do my best."
Anyone here today that has never gotten sick a single day in your life?
Anyone here that has never had someone hurt their feelings?
Anyone here that has never had someone they love die?
Anyone here that has never had another person lie to you, betray you or let you down?
Can we all just agree that bad circumstances and painful experiences are a reality and part of life? And if that's so, and we cannot stop that - all we are left with is accepting it and dealing with it.
Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said: "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it." Then Job answered the Lord and said: "Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further." Job 40:1-5 (NKJV)
Folks, Job understood something that we don't like to talk about - before God, what we deserve is death. And he said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21 (NKJV)
And then is response to his wife's call to curse God, Job answered:
"You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Job 2:10 (NKJV)
The fact is, God is God and we're not. God is holy and just and we fall short of that. And accordingly, our lack of holiness should merit our separation from God, our judgement and punishment. The Scriptures say:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
Wages ? what we have earned or deserved. Death.
Gift ? what is given freely and without our merit. Eternal life. Not just in heaven, but beginning now.
And crucial to that process is accepting what we face with humility and a sense of holy perspective. So, are you trying to make things come out evenly and fairly, or are you cultivating acceptance?
Believe that God is in control, because every storm is ?Father-filtered.'
Here's where the power of God's word to change us is so needed, I think. Because when I try to reason through what's going on in life, or listen to what others say, or measure it against what I see - I cannot come up with rational conclusions. I can't explain why Isaac Scalf has been stricken the way he has. I can't explain why Dave has faced the heartache piled upon heartache that he has. Nor can he. And better yet, it's an effort in futility to define exactly what God is doing in his life. What I have admired about Dave and Amy .. and what I am trying to learn in my own life ? is to keep believing that God is in control.
One of the ways that I do that is to read Job 38-41 when I find my faith failing. I listen to Nicole C. Mullen's song My Redeemer Lives. I take a walk and study the leaves on trees and the colors of birds. I watch the sun rise and set. I picture myself hearing the words Job heard from the very mouth of God.
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: "Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Job 38:1-4 (NKJV)
God never answered Job's question of "Why?" God simply reminded Job with power, that He was God. It is from this truth that Romans 8:28 flows:
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
Job never read Paul's words, but he uttered these that teach us still today:
"I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes." Job 42:1-6 (NKJV)
That my friends, is what I offer you in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A God who has a perfect plan and purpose, not only just for the universe in general , but for your life in specific. That God is All-Powerful, ALL-Merciful, All-Just and All-Loving. And by His grace, He has offered us a way into His perfect plan, through a relationship with His Son Jesus. What you must do is believe that He is that God, and that Jesus died for your sins. In the face of His character, admit that yours is not perfect. Repent of your sins and align your life with Jesus Christ, being baptized into Him so that you may live with Him and follow Him as He lives in you.
I would like to pray for you.
Catching God's Vision (Joseph)
