Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you and scorn in the one ahead. ~Mac McCleary
It never seems to fail that when I leave early to allow extra time to get somewhere across town the traffic zips along and I’m there very early. If I don’t give myself that extra lead time traffic is terrible and I’m barely on time or even late. Traffic tries our patience. There’s been a lot on TV this week about the new express lanes on I-85. It seems there will be a high price to pay to use this lane and as of yet not many people are willing to pay. I’ve tried to get better about not letting bumper to bumper traffic get to me. Of course I’m not perfect and was most unhappy yesterday afternoon after a mechanical failure in the toll lane I was in backed cars up as I was trying to get back to Hapeville for City Council. Yet at times I can use time in traffic to pray or just think about things. Yesterday I considered that some things just take time. I like to read fast because I have many books I want to read. Yet to really get the most from a book one should slow down and savor the words and think about what’s going on with the characters or the teaching. Counseling takes time. One delves into a subject and then allows the subconscious time to ponder and absorb new ideas. We try to speed up cooking with microwaves and pressure cookers but the best roasts are cooked low and slow. Sometimes we get impatient in our requests of God. We want immediate action but God in God’s greater wisdom makes us wait. Faith and hope and trust are all words we use to describe our waiting on the Lord. I hope that you have all three.
Gracious God, help us to use the times we are slowed down productively instead of becoming impatient and aggravated. Show us how we can take a deep breath or say a prayer or think kind thoughts. Help us to wait on you to answer our prayers, trusting always in your goodness and grace. Amen.
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