The Daily Guide
Patience and hope - a solid pairing
If we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Romans 8:25 - KJV
Have you ever found yourself saying, "I'm running out of patience waiting for what I've prayed for to arrive." This must have been how the person felt who posted on Twitter, "Can any one give me a scripture for patience?" Any scripture on patience wouldn't have done because obviously she was looking for help in having patience. It didn't take the Holy Spirit long to bring to my remembrance the scripture that fits just that requirement. It's the one I've given above.
I replied, "Paul teaches we hang in there with patience (the Bible kind) when we're in hope - Rom.8:25." Notice I qualified the word patience with the phrase "the Bible kind." Non-Christians use the word patience in a suffering-the-wait sense. On the other hand, in the New Testament the Greek word translated as patience is a strong word that carries the meaning "the power to see things through". No wonder many Bible translations translate it as endurance or perseverance instead of patience. Recognise this, the Bible kind of patience is a strong, active force spiritually made available in our lives.
If you are falling short on patience, what you need is hope, the Bible kind of hope. The Bible kind of hope is a vision of good with expectation of receiving it. We come into this kind of hope by what Paul refers to as "the patience and comfort of the Scriptures." In other words, you come into it by reflecting on the accounts in scripture of how holy men and women of God stuck to their conviction of faith and found God wholly faithful. You also come into it by knowing in your life "joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Rom.15:4,13
May you experience the power of patience
Copyright © 2009 P.F. (Simon) Measures
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