Patient in Faith 1

Psalm 37:7

Many years ago I went bear hunting at a small camp in a remote area of Canada. Although I never did even see a bear, let alone bag one, I got some valuable lessons from the experience. Bear hunting requires a great deal of control – sitting on a small perch in a tree for four to six hours, staying alert the whole time without speaking or going to the restroom.

We talk about how we trust God and how we can rely on God, but it is difficult to put our faith into real action. We watch the news and get aggravated at what is not happening to help the desperate people of Haiti. We watch what happens in our own government and feel angry that there is not more honesty, that more good work is not being done. Other issues in our lives and around the world upset us. And we forget that we are called to be patient in faith.

What does the psalmist advise? What should we NOT do?

The writer of Psalm 37 tells us to be still before the Lord. We are to call on our own self-control, our own trust, enough that we can calm our minds and our restless spirit. This is how we achieve stillness.

We are to wait for the Lord. We are to be aware that God has His own timetable and moves in His own ways, ways we do not understand. Our fretting and our worry need to be set aside, quieted. In their place we must put our own peace and trust.

Although we do not agree with what is happening around us, we must trust in God and wait for Him to guide. Although we do not understand the ways of the Lord, we must trust in God and wait for Him to move.

Some may feel that being still before the Lord is simple – you just give up hopes and desires and thoughts. But in fact, being still before the Lord requires more than just giving up caring about things. Being still before the Lord is more than inactivity. To be still before the Lord requires that we exercise control over ourselves, that we remain alert for God’s direction, and that we remain ready to step in where God leads.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What can you do to find the stillness your faith needs?