Patience: A Secret Recipe

Patience is something at which I am not good. It is difficult to teach patience when you are not patient yourself.

Exhortation to Patience and Trust 

Thankfully, I found help in Psalm 37:18, “The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide forever. . .” Yes, this is a recipe for turning it around, for transforming worry into worship.

Flood Insurance

Let me illustrate with a personal story. It was 4:30 a.m. I adjusted my pillow. I turn to the left side…and back to the right. It was no use. I couldn’t sleep. My mind raced with worry. I had been working for over a month helping my son purchase a house. There had been a lot of uncertainty, but I thought it was coming together. Then, bam, he received an email from the lender saying that the underwriter would require flood insurance. Flood insurance, that would be excessively expensive. But, there had not been a flood there since that area of Detroit had been established over 100 years ago. 

I got out of bed and went downstairs. As I looked through the Bible, only more discouragement. The Israelites enslaved in Egypt. The Israelites keep sinning. The prophets warn of total destruction. The city of Jerusalem is destroyed and only a remnant survived. Turmoil has been going on since the dawn of time. Life would be so much better without all of this turmoil and stress. Then, the unexpected answer came. “I got them through. I can get you through too. Don’t worry. Be patient. Trust me.”

So, I opened up the laptop and started researching flood insurance. I didn’t get back to sleep right away, but I did learn a lot. For example, I now know what a flood zone is, who makes the determination, what a 100-year flood is, how elevation is measured, Yes, there is an “app” for that, and my smart phone had one built-in. 

Four-step Recipe

I started working on the part of the problem that I could do something about. Also, I began recounting the blessings that God had bestowed on me to this point. I had turned worry into worship. I had learned the secret recipe.

So, I found in Psalm 37 a secret recipe for patience and blessings:

1. Don’t worry
2. Trust in the Lord
3. Do good
4. Take delight in the Lord

What is keeping you up at night? Ask God for his help and guidance. . . and remember the Exhortation to Patience and Trust.

“Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:1-4

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear

Also, see Prosperity is the Goal.