I'm struggling to find a verse today. I have read dozens of verses, looked up specific words, and prayed, but no verse is standing out to me today. I do have a word that keeps coming back, but no verses that seem to fit it. The word is long-suffering. I read about patience, endurance, and perseverance, but none of these have sufficed my spiritual thirst with the word long-suffering. As I think about what I know, I am humbled by the phrase long-suffering as I don't believe I really have a full grasp of what the term means. I have never been in a situation of long-suffering and when I think I have, I am introduced to someone who has been there longer. We are so quick to complain about our situation rather than to look for how our situation has impacted others or even ourselves. I know that the times where I have felt long-suffering, I have grown deeper and those around me have been impacted. So what is the goal in long-suffering? Is it to get out of it? Is it to look for the good? Is it to just make us miserable? I don't think it's any of these. I believe the goal in long-suffering is to draw us nearer to God. We get as close to Jesus as we can and let His love endure. No magical fixes, just being in the presence of the One who created you. What peace and relief! Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.
Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. I was prompted to read this verse and it was perfect for today, of course. All of Psalm 100 is praise to God. For me today, I am praising God because He was faithful in something He had revealed to me a while ago. Let me explain. Have you ever asked God for His strength? Not just strength, but His strength. This is something that I was prompted to do about a year ago, not to just ask for strength in general, but to specifically request His strength to be given to me. I know it sounds a little like a bit of rhetoric, but keep reading. In requesting God's own strength, I have noticed something tremendous has happened each time. When God bestows His strength within me, it is so much more than just endurance. His strength comes with clarity of mind, lightening of the spirit, and a depth of inner joy that cannot help but make me smile. I feel energized in a way
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