“Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him.”
-Psalm 37:7
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.”
-Psalm 40:1
13th Day After Christmas
January 7, 2021
Patience
Patience according to Webster’s dictionary: the ability to remain calm when dealing with a difficult or annoying situation, task, or person. The biblical definition: The quality of patience is presented as either forbearance or endurance. In the former sense it is a quality of self-restraint of or not giving way to anger even in the face of provocation; it is attributed to both God and man and is closely related to mercy and compassion and the thought that patience is a virtue.
I have heard the word patience for most of my life. Even as a child, I remember my mom and grandmother say, “be patient.” I wanted what I wanted when I wanted it. As I grew up, that did not change much. I found if things did not happen when and how I thought or wanted them to, I would get disgruntled. As I grew into adulthood, not only was I impatient, but angry when things didn’t happen as I thought they should.
I heard the pastor often preach that patience is a virtue and my elders telling me the same thing.
What did it mean to me? I know that when I pray, I often want an answer right away. What does that say about my faith in God? After going into the ministry and studying the scripture, I learned “A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife” (Proverbs 15:18) “Love is patient and kind.”(1Corinthians 13:4). Patience is a virtue.
Prayer
Almighty God, help me to practice patience in all things.
Amen.
Reverend Sandra Butler-Trusedale
Associate Minister
Advent 2020
Join us in a time of reflection, anticipation, and contemplation during the season of Advent 2020.
Each day a new reflection with a scripture and prayer will be posted on the Metropolitan AME Church website and social media to encourage you to hear the words of those reflecting, anticipating, and contemplating with you in community as we thank God for what God has done, notice what God is actively doing and anticipate what God will do next.
Read along with us each day or download the book to read and write along with us offline. Chart and journal for yourself what God has done, what God is doing, and what God is illuminating for you in this season.