Walking in the Spirit

The Verse of the Day for September 28, 2018 comes from 1 Corinthians 2:14 in the Revised Standard Version:

The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Here is the rendering from the New Living Translation:

But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.

Revised and re-posted, today’s Verse of the Day contrasts two distinctive groups of people: those who are of a carnal or fleshly nature and those who are spiritual whose spiritual nature dominates. In the first instance, those of a carnal nature are led by bodily appetites, the five senses, and also by a self-exalting spirit, estranged from the life of the spirit. To those who walk after the flesh, spiritual matters or concerns of the Spirit are foolishness to those whose very nature is earthly, sensual, and devilish.

In Romans Paul contrasts those who walk after the spirit and those who walk after flesh in Romans 8:1(NKJV):

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

He goes on to explain how believers are different because we do not walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Galatians 5: 16-18 in the Amplified Bible sharply delineate this dilemma:

16 But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
17 For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.
18 But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.

In the midst of the turbulent times of this present age, many think of the prophetic word spoken on the Day of Pentecost proclaiming words spoken by the prophet Joel regarding the Spirit of God:

Acts 2:17-18

17 ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days
I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.

Our discussion also brings to mind this original poem

The Spirit of God

“Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.”
Traditional Gospel Song

As the Spirit of God moved upon the water,
As an eagle ascends on high and stirs her nest,
Attentive to the cries of her starving young ones;
As she satisfies her young and then spreads her wings,
So Holy Spirit with a gentle wavering,
Flutter over, move upon us in a new way.
As a gentle dove would hover over her brood,
Cover our soul and saturate our whole being.
As we wait upon you, spread your wings, bear us up
That we might soar to heights above the fowler’s snare.
Renew our strength and refresh our desire to serve.
As you feed us and sustain us, we shall mount up
On eagle’s wings. We shall run and not be weary.
As we look to you, we shall walk and not faint.

We close with a reminder of how believers should be walking: “Walking in the Spirit.

We have an advocate

With the focus of the nation riveted on the unfolding drama of a courtroom, the Verse of the Day for September 25, 2018 is particularly meaningful:

I John 2:1 rendered in the Revised Standard Version in this way:

[Christ Our Advocate] My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

As I was growing up, I remember descriptions of Jesus Christ, as a “doctor in the sickroom,” “a lawyer in the court room.” Other lyrics describe the Son of God as “a lawyer who never lost a case.” First John, in speaking of Jesus Christ as our advocate, one who pleads our case, echoes this same idea.

The late Dr. Adrian Rogers describes the term in this way:
“Advocate is just a fancy term for a lawyer, someone who pleads your case before the bar or justice. . . . Jesus goes before God on our behalf and says, ‘Father, I know they are sinners, but they have repented and my blood has cleansed them. They belong to Me.’”

The word advocate is translated from the Greek word parakletos, the same word used for the Holy Spirit, also referred to as the Paraklete: one who pleads another’s cause, who helps another by defending or comforting him. The term refers to one who comes alongside to help. In this case the word is used to refer to someone who is a defender, a defense attorney.” for of all who belong to His Kingdom.

Matthew Henry writes: “The clients are guilty; their innocence and legal righteousness cannot be pleaded. It is the advocate’s own righteousness that he must plead for the criminals.” In this courtroom setting sinners are accused before God, the Lord, the righteous Judge, Jesus Christ comes in as the sinners’ Defense Attorney.

Romans 8:27 in the Amplified Bible speaks of Holy Spirit, our advocate, in this way:

And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will.

Despite our best efforts, we will sin; indeed, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all sinners, saved by grace. On those occasions where we fall short or miss the mark in our efforts to serve the Lord, we have a defense attorney, a barrister, an advocate with the Father.

How comforting to know that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, serves as our advocate or defense attorney, who is seated at the right hand of God, as he ever makes intercession for us. Thank God that he is “a lawyer in the courtroom.” and that he has “never lost a case.”

We close with a musical rendering of the Verse of the Day: 1 John 2:1:

A new season: Be strong and courageous

As autumn leaves begin to change, we are entering a new season of harvest.

Fall officially begins at the autumnal equinox, where the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, from north to south, signaling the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, when the night and day are of equal length. This year it occurred on Saturday, September 22, which marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter.

Even in the midst of these changing times, seasons change. “The days dwindle down to a precious few” and the foliage unfolds in golden splendor along with the bountiful harvest. At this time “Deep rust and scarlet curtains dress the stage/Where trees change gowns on a warm autumn day.” This time of year reminds us of the truths expressed by God Almighty after the flood waters receded in the Days of Noah:

Genesis 8:22

22 As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”

In thinking about autumn as a season of harvest, I thought of a particularly challenging situation for the Children of Israel as they approached the Promised Land and prepared to enter, Joshua 3:15 notes: ”the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest.” Before they head toward their destination, Joshua commands the people:

Joshua 3:5-6

5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves [for His purpose], for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders (miracles) among you.” 6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over [the river] ahead of the people.” So they took up the Ark of the Covenant and went on ahead of the people.

In a recent teaching of this account from the Book of Joshua, Pastor Joon of Grace Covenant Church, commented, “Before the impossible you pause and ask God what to do.” He went on to say, “Consecration is the vessel for miracles.”

We see that the priests entered the Jordan bearing the Ark of the Covenant on their shoulders. When they entered the river, the waters parted, and the people miraculously walked through on dry land.

This record also brought to mind a poem that personalizes our encounter with a Jordan River of our own, particularly at this season of my life as thousands upon thousands of Carolinians are recovering from devastating flooding after Hurricane Florence. Like the Children of Israel our desire is

To Cross Over

Deep river, Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.
Black Spiritual

To cross over the swelling Jordan is our goal.
Here we stand at the beginning of our harvest
When waters of the river overflow and crest
Above our tableland to overwhelm our soul.
Streams converge upon us as far as we can see
And flood our camp from shore to shore. The rising tide
Would hold us back and keep us from the other side,
But we prepare our heart and mind for victory.
As God sent forth the sacred Ark of the Covenant
Borne on the strong shoulders of the priests, reliant
On the Lord’s command that the waters would recede,
So shall those who trust God, never fail but succeed.
Though trials seem to hinder us on every hand,
We shall walk through this Jordan and stand on dry land.

As we enter into this new harvest season of our lives, we may be confronted with challenging circumstances that seem to overwhelm us at times, but we are confident that just as God delivered Israel, so will He provide a way for us reach our destination, the place of our destiny.

As we embark upon this new season, we inquire of the Lord and seek His guidance and direction for the days ahead. Some will be fasting and praying; others will journal and devote more time to reading and studying the Scriptures. We think of the lyrics to “Our Eyes are on You”:

Lord, we acknowledge You,

We don’t know what to do,

But our eyes are still on You.

 

We have not been this way.

Each step is strange and new,

But our eyes are still on You.

 

Teach us Your way, and we will follow.

Speak to us now. We will obey.

You’ve always brought us through.

Our eyes are still on You.

Our eyes are still on You.

We close with a musical rendering of some of the words spoken to Joshua, and they certainly can be applied to our lives in this new season: “Be Strong and Take Courage”:

Watch your mouth

Earlier this week, I announced that my new book is scheduled for release on October 15, 2018. In Embracing Your Life Sentence: How to Turn Life’s Greatest Tragedies into Your Greatest Triumphs, I share my holistic strategy to overcome prostate cancer. Part of my approach involves going to the Bible and looking for principles that I can apply to my situation. The Verse of the Day for September 19, 2018 brought to mind Chapter 2 which opens with Ephesians 4:29 in the Message Bible:

Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 2:

Watch your mouth

In my situation, I recognized that I had to become a guardian or watchman of what John Bunyan calls “every gate that opens in our heart.” Howard Morgan speaks of “gates” as “places that we have to monitor diligently so that we allow only that which is positive and healthy into our lives.” Three such gates are the “the ear gate,” “the eye gate,” and “the mouth gate.” The picture of the three wise monkeys came to mind to remind me that I must consciously seek to “watch what I hear, watch what I see, and watch what I say.”

With regard to the mouth as a gate that I had to watch, I had to monitor not only what went into the mouth—what I chose to eat—but what came out of my mouth–what I chose to speak as well. Since “The power of life and death is in the power of the tongue,” I carefully chose the words that I would speak, as this original poem states:

We know the tongue has power to generate life,
To produce seeds that will eventually take root
And will bring forth two very different kinds of fruit:
Love, joy and peace or envy, confusion and strife
Can build or destroy a brother, a friend, a wife.

Throughout the whole process of responding to the diagnosis of prostate cancer, I had to encourage myself to make positive confessions and to speak words of positive affirmation. The Scriptures remind believers to let our words always be seasoned with salt, that they may minister grace to the hearers.

Most amazingly I did not have to look in the mirror to watch my mouth, but then again, I did! I looked into the mirror of the Word of God and made sure that what I said lined up with what the Word of God says. The Book of James speaks of not just being one who hears the Word but also one who does the Word: “a hearer and a doer.” Indeed, my actions speak louder than my words in this instance.

To sum up what I learned about watching in a strategic way, I came across this statement attributed to Frank Outlaw, founder of Bi-Lo Stores. Each line opens with an exhortation to “watch.” What we are to observe closely could we arranged as an acrostic that can be rearranged to spell “W-A-T-C-H”:

“Watch your thoughts, they become words;
watch your words, they become actions;
watch your actions, they become habits;
watch your habits, they become character;
watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Each chapter of Embracing Your Life Sentence: How to Turn Life’s Greatest Tragedies into Your Greatest Triumphs concludes with a psalm of remembrance of God’s goodness and faithfulness. As the journey continues, I am

Watching, Waiting, Seeking

Wait on the LORD; be of good courage,
and He shall strengthen your heart;
wait, I say, on the LORD!
Psalm 27:14

We are strengthened by the Word of God where we find
Courage to endure while seeking to watch and wait.
Those who watch and wait are never left behind,
For God has always been faithful and never late.
We trust in the Lord, as the Word of God extols.
Like Job we wait until at last our change shall come,
Assured that in patience we now anchor our souls.
May we not faint and fall by the wayside as some
But follow in Christ’s steps, as we quickly obey
And bear up under and yield fruit of endurance.
We must walk in God’s love, the more excellent way
And through faith and patience claim our inheritance.
In these perilous times we are yielded and still,
Watching, waiting, seeking to fulfill all God’s will.

The essence of the importance of “watching your mouth” and guarding the gates of our lives is captured in a simple children’s song that expresses profound truths: “O Be Careful Little Eyes:

If it had not been for the Lord. . .

Despite the stress and the distress in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence with its devastating impact on the Carolinas, we remain overwhelmingly grateful to God. I woke up this morning abiding in the safety of the Lord, thankful for life, health, and strength, being able to express in words my gratitude as I post this entry.

In reflecting on where I have been and where I am now, I often say, “If it had not been for the Lord, I shudder to think where I would be.” I also think of Psalm 124 which opens with a similar statement, “If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side. . . .” Here is the psalm in its entirety in the King James Version:

Psalm 124

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,”
Let Israel now say—
² “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
When men rose up against us,
³ Then they would have swallowed us alive,
When their wrath was kindled against us;
⁴ Then the waters would have overwhelmed us,
The stream would have gone over our soul;
⁵ Then the swollen waters
Would have gone over our soul.”

⁶ Blessed be the Lord,
Who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
⁷ Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
⁸ Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

Verse 1 was the inspiration for this personal poetic expression:

If It Had Not Been for the Lord

“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,”
Let Israel now say—
Psalm 124:1

If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side,

We would have drowned in the sea from the tears we cried.

We shudder to think just where we would be today.

We would have lost our mind or turned and walked away,

we learned that God is faithful—this cannot be denied.

 

He was there to guide when we were tempted and tried,

Our shelter from the storm where we could run and hide.

He was our deliverer—that is all we have to say:

If it had not been for the Lord.

 

Enemies rose up like a flood to wash aside,

But God came through and rescued us and turned the tide.

Pressing toward the mark, dawning of a brand new day,

Through all our trials we learned to watch, fight and pray.

The Lord is our keeper; in Him we confide:

If it had not been for the Lord.

Esther Mui offers Psalm 124: “Our Help is in the Name of the LORD.”

The reference to Psalm 124 causes us to think about where we all might have been, if it had not been for the Lord who was on our side.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Week

Designated Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, September brings focus to prostate cancer, an important health concern among American men. Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men, especially in African American men. During National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we remember those we have lost to prostate cancer and celebrate survivors, as we renew our commitment to preventing, detecting, and treating this .frequently occurring illness.

The Prostate Conditions Education Council (PCEC), a national organization committed to men’s health and a leader in prostate cancer screening, sponsors Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (PCAW) from September 17-21, 2018. During September men are encouraged men to have a health check and talk to their doctor about prostate cancer. In fact, September 18 is also designated Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day. Light blue is the color of the ribbon bringing attention to prostate cancer.

As a prostate cancer survivor, September is an especially significant month for me. Receiving a diagnosis of prostate cancer in 2000 was life-changing. I share my response to the diagnosis in my forthcoming book, Embracing Your Life Sentence: How to Turn Life’s Greatest Tragedies into Your Greatest Triumphs. While some see a cancer diagnosis as a “death sentence,” I see it as a “life sentence” that transformed my thinking. Embracing Your Life Sentence offers lessons learned from this life-changing process. In revealing my holistic strategy to combat prostate cancer, I take you down the road less travelled on a journey that weaves original poetry, Scripture, and my battle plan, to show how I emerged, not just as a survivor but more than a conqueror. Scheduled release is mid-October. Find out more about it at lonnelledwardjohnson.com or keep checking Dr. J’s Apothecary Shoppe.

Open our eyes to re-look

Many times when looking for specific information located in a particular file on your device, you may “Providentially” come across something that ministers to you in a special yet unexpected way. Such was the case when I located a poem written years ago that I had not discussed nor posted. It opens with a statement from Chuck Pierce that I am calling the Quote of the Day for September 14, 2018:

“What the Lord is saying to us as we enter this season is: “’RE-LOOK!”

That statement became the inspiration for this response:

“Open your eyes. Look again, re-perceive.”

What the Lord is saying to us as we enter this season is: “RE-LOOK!”
Chuck Pierce

And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
Luke 24:30-31

God says “Open your eyes. Look again, re-perceive.”
This time look at yourselves from a fresh vantage point.
He will refresh with loving kindness and anoint.
Look unto Him: Do not doubt but only believe.
We must reset our will to be in alignment
To see the truth and maintain the right attitude.
With a pure heart overflowing with gratitude,
We serve God and prepare for our new assignment.
Even in troubled times God has always been there.
As we commune with Him, blinded eyes receive new sight.
The Lord is our salvation. The Lord is our light.
With renewed strength we rest in hope and not despair.
As we complete our course, we look again and see
What was once a test is now our testimony.

In thinking about God’s desire for His people to “see” with fresh eyes and to be enlightened anew, I recall a previous blog entry discussing our request that God will open our eyes, as we echo the sentiments of the Psalmist in Psalm 119:18:

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

We find a corresponding command from the Lord who offers this exhortation in Jeremiah 33:2-3 (AMP):

“Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is His name, ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’

Most providentially, we find another expression of God’s desire that our eyes might perceive what God desires us to see in Ephesians 1:18 (KJV)

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

In actuality verse 18 is part of a prayer, an expression of God’s desire for His people written by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1: 14-23. Verses 17-18 are part of the introduction, as indicated in the Amplified Bible:

17 [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,
18 By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones),

The passage from Ephesians 1, along with the previously cited verses, brings to mind the words of the hymn “Open My Eyes that I Might See” which is, in essence, a similar prayer expressed in song. The lyrics to the hymn are displayed while Nathanael Provis plays the melody on piano:

Not only is our prayer to God like that expressed in Psalm 119:18 and Jeremiah 33:3: that God will enlighten us and illuminate our lives, but we also recognize that God’s prayer for us is the same: that by means of the spirit of wisdom and revelation, that the eyes of our heart may be flooded with light, as is expressed so powerfully in Ephesians 1.

We close with a musical rendering of the prayer from Ephesians 1:18-23:

Open our eyes to re-look

Many times when looking for specific information located in a particular file on your device, you may “Providentially” come across something that ministers to you in a special yet unexpected way. Such was the case when I located a poem written years ago that I had not discussed nor posted. It opens with a statement from Chuck Pierce that I am calling the Quote of the Day for September 14, 2018:

“What the Lord is saying to us as we enter this season is: “’RE-LOOK!”

That statement became the inspiration for this response:

“Open your eyes. Look again, re-perceive.”

What the Lord is saying to us as we enter this season is: “RE-LOOK!”
Chuck Pierce

And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
Luke 24:30-31

God says “Open your eyes. Look again, re-perceive.”
This time look at yourselves from a fresh vantage point.
He will refresh with loving kindness and anoint.
Look unto Him: Do not doubt but only believe.
We must reset our will to be in alignment
To see the truth and maintain the right attitude.
With a pure heart overflowing with gratitude,
We serve God and prepare for our new assignment.
Even in troubled times God has always been there.
As we commune with Him, blinded eyes receive new sight.
The Lord is our salvation. The Lord is our light.
With renewed strength we rest in hope and not despair.
As we complete our course, we look again and see
What was once a test is now our testimony.

In thinking about God’s desire for His people to “see” with fresh eyes and to be enlightened anew, I recall a previous blog entry discussing our request that God will open our eyes, as we echo the sentiments of the Psalmist in Psalm 119:18:

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

We find a corresponding command from the Lord who offers this exhortation in Jeremiah 33:2-3 (AMP):

“Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is His name, ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’

Most providentially, we find another expression of God’s desire that our eyes might perceive what God desires us to see in Ephesians 1:18 (KJV)

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

In actuality verse 18 is part of a prayer, an expression of God’s desire for His people written by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1: 14-23. Verses 17-18 are part of the introduction, as indicated in the Amplified Bible:

17 [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,
18 By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones),

The passage from Ephesians 1, along with the previously cited verses, brings to mind the words of the hymn “Open My Eyes that I Might See” which is, in essence, a similar prayer expressed in song. The lyrics to the hymn are displayed while Nathanael Provis plays the melody on piano:

Not only is our prayer to God like that expressed in Psalm 119:18 and Jeremiah 33:3: that God will enlighten us and illuminate our lives, but we also recognize that God’s prayer for us is the same: that by means of the spirit of wisdom and revelation, that the eyes of our heart may be flooded with light, as is expressed so powerfully in Ephesians 1.

We close with a musical rendering of the prayer from Ephesians 1:18-23:

             

Hurricane Florence: The eye of the storm

The eye of the storm captured on this photo of Hurricane Florence taken on September 11, 2018

Residents of North Carolina and surrounding areas are bracing themselves for Hurricane Florence, described as what could be “an unprecedented disaster for North Carolina.” The powerful Category 4 storm has been down graded to a Category 2 with winds of 110 miles per hour and is expected to bring with it record-breaking amounts of rain and flooding.

In thinking about the approaching storm, I recall commonly repeated comments regarding the storms of life: As believers, we are either in the midst of a storm or coming out of a storm and preparing to go through another storm. Although I recall hearing the statement in 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating and destructive storms in recent memory, it certainly has application today. The name of the storm may have changed, and the circumstances may be somewhat different, but this impending life-threatening disaster reminds us of

This Ever-present Truth

For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
which lifts up the waves of the sea.
They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
He calms the storm, so that its waves are still.
Then they are glad because they are quiet;
so He guides them to their desired haven.
Psalm 107:25-26, 29-30

As we navigate through the stages of our lives,
Mild breezes that caress our days are soon transformed
Into wild gales and floods, as one more storm arrives.
Despite this ever-present truth, we are alarmed
And unprepared for life’s torrential winds and rain,
As the raging storm center races toward our shore,
Gathering force and mounting into a hurricane.
We find ourselves near the eye of the storm once more.
The whirlwind soon passes over and leaves behind
Rising flood waters that would overwhelm the soul,
But through prayer and strong faith we know that we shall find
Courage to endure, though each storm exacts its toll.
God prepares us to go through howling gusts and rain,
With strength between storms, ready to go through again.

Even when we find ourselves in the midst of the fiercest hurricane on record, Ryan Stevenson reminds us of the place of trust and confidence where we long to abide: “In the eye of the storm”:

Waiting: Perfecting the art of patience

Recently, a colleague, Dr. Hopelyn Brown, posted an intriguing statement on her Facebook page:

“Finish this sentence:
The best things in life are ______.”

Here is my response:

“The best things in life are worth waiting for. You have need of patience, after that you have done the will of the Lord, you might receive the promise.”

My comment brought to mind a previous blog entry that talked about learning to wait on the Lord with patience. I have modified the post and added a new poem at the end.

We begin with a statement from Brian Adams:

“Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.”

As believers, perfecting the art of patience involves learning to wait on the Lord. The closing verses of my favorite psalm come to mind:

Psalm 27:13-14 (NKJV):

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
that I would see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait on the LORD;
be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Note this Biblical definition of patience which has also been translated endurance or perseverance, steadfastly bearing up under and remaining faithful while waiting. Patience or perseverance is a fruit of the spirit that should be evident in our lives, as we wait on the Lord.

When we examine one of the words translated “patience”, we see a compound word meaning “to stay, remain, abide”, literally abiding under. The verb form means to stay under (behind), i.e. remain; figuratively, to undergo, i.e. bear (trials), have fortitude, to persevere — abide, endure, suffer, tarry behind.

The root idea of the noun is that of remaining under some discipline, subjecting one’s self to something which demands the yielding of the will to something against which one naturally would rebel. It means cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy — enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting). It is a bearing up in a way that honors and glorifies our heavenly Father, not merely to grin and bear it.

James 5:11 provides an excellent example of the word for patience being used as a verb and as a noun. The New Living Translation offers this rendering containing a familiar phrase that encompasses a character trait most often associated with Job:

11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

The Book of Job is a classic example of the principle of first usage and first spiritual principle, which highlights as particularly important the first time that a concept is mentioned in the Bible. E.W. Bullinger and other scholars believe the first book written was the Book of Job, composed by Moses. Job, whom Chuck Swindoll described as a “man of heroic endurance,” was, indeed, a real person, and his story is one of the first demonstrations of many spiritual principles, one being that God is “full of compassion and tender mercy” and that he rewards those who demonstrate “patience.” Although many believe “Patience is its own reward,” God also rewards patience, as so clearly noted in Job 42:10:

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

The statement that began our discussion also reminds us of that we are currently in a season where patience, a fruit of the Spirit, should be abounding. Not only must we know what season we are in, but we must also know where we are in this season. I recall a teaching series that drew a parallel between our life’s journey as believers and the journey of the Children of Israel into the Promised Land beginning at Gilgal, symbolic place of new beginnings. From there they move on to Jericho onward to Jerusalem, going all the way to Mount Zion, the highest elevation in that beautiful City of God.

As we journey through life, we perfect the art of patience or endurance or perseverance. Associated with this character trait is the idea of “waiting”—steadfastly bearing up under and remaining faithful while waiting. We close with an original poem to capture the essence of where we are and what we are doing in this season.

Waiting in Gilgal

If a man die, shall he live again?
All the days of my appointed time
will I wait, till my change come.

Job 14:14

Waiting in Gilgal. . .

In the midnight harbor, place black as a raven,
Yielded and still in this new place of transition,
Seeking to do God’s will, in ready position,
To be launched from here to our desired haven.

Waiting in Gilgal. . .

Groaning, travailing resounds from this place on earth,
In the birthing room where thoughts rise to the sublime;
Prolonged moments extend toward the fullness of time
Where agony precedes ecstasy in childbirth.

Waiting in Gilgal. . .

To be raised from the tomb, released from the cocoon;
Exhausted, we yearn to escape and touch the sky,
To be freed from these quarters of the butterfly,
Where to be transformed at last can come none too soon.

Waiting in Gilgal. . .

This place demands sacrifice and obedience:
Not like Saul in Gilgal, foolish and immature,
But like Caleb, who with age, had strength to endure,
Fulfilled all God’s will and claimed his inheritance,
Waiting in Gilgal. . .

One of my favorite passages related to waiting on the Lord comes from Isaiah 40:25-31, offered here by Esther Mui: