PURPOSE GOD’S WAY-Practice Patience in Seasons of Delay

Ever found yourself growing impatient waiting for a promise to be fulfilled, for a breakthrough, or simply for a change? Ever felt your timelines are not aligning with God's? I've been there too, and I understand your frustration.

Drawing inspiration from Habakkuk 2:1, I offer perspective and encouragement for anyone in a season of waiting, emphasizing that our visions will certainly come to pass at the appointed time. 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

Hello, today we shall be praying about patience. Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and what does it mean to be patient? According to the Oxford Dictionary, patience is defined as the ability to accept or to tolerate delays, problems or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. Another term for patience is forbearance. And as you pursue your purpose, one thing that is totally tested is your patience. Oh, I can attest that mine has been tested. The things that I thought that I would do within a certain duration of time have taken me so long and I begin to just be anxious and annoyed and vexed. But today the Word of God reminds us that we who have written the vision down that we are to have a spirit of patience. I will read in Habakkuk 2 and 1 that says for the revelation awaits an appointed time. It speaks of the end and will not prove false, though it lingers. Wait for it. It will certainly come and not delay. Some things are easier said than done. It is not easy for you to wait or be patient for your time, but today I want to encourage you and to say that the fruit of the spirit called patience is one that we all ought to foster, because the Word of God says that there is an appointed time for everything. And then, secondly, it says that it speaks of the end and will not prove false, meaning that whatever it is that the Lord has told you will surely come to pass. And then, thirdly, though it lingers, the Lord is telling you that it will linger, and sometimes it does linger. It does take long four months, five months, one year, two years. He encourages us and says wait for it, it will certainly come and will not delay.

Speaker 1: 2:30

And so this day I want to encourage you to wait for your appointed time. Do not move ahead of your time. You know there's always this thing as human beings, we know and we have a feeling, and we always say we will know, and we know that we know that it is the time, then we shall move. And there are times that you feel inside of you a bad feeling like this is not right, and so you pause and you stop. Then there are other times that you know and so you go. So wait for the appointed time. It will never prove false, though it lingers. Wait for it, because it will certainly come to pass and not delay. Are there many things that have delayed in your life? Are there promises that the Lord has spoken to you and you're feeling I need you to show up right now. God, this is the appointed time.

Speaker 1: 3:25

Today, now, this moment, I want to encourage you and to pray with you for the spirit of patience, because patience worketh perseverance. I want to encourage you that patience, according to Romans 5 and verse 3 to 5, says not only so, but we also glory in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character and character. Hope and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. We know that many a times, as we wait for the things and the promises of God in our lives, we suffer much, we suffer shame. But God is reminding us today, as we exercise patience, as we pray for patience, that this process is producing perseverance, is producing character and is producing hope, and all this is because God loves us. So, even as you wait for the promise of God over your life, I want us to partner in prayer and say God, help me to be patient. I'm running out of answers, I'm running out of time.

Speaker 1: 4:56

But God, you who says that you will show up at the appointed time and he will, for you and for me, but in the meantime, work out patience in me. So let us pray, our Lord and our God. We thank you because you are God and there is no other God like you. We thank you because your word remains true, o God, and we thank you because you're reminding us this day that, even as we pursue you and pursue the things that concern us, o God, that you're telling us that you desire for us to be patient. So we are praying for the fruit of patience to be resident inside of us, that we shall patiently wait for the promise to come to pass, lord, god Almighty, the ones that are waiting for the promise of the fruit of the womb, the ones that are waiting for the promise of a job, o God, of a spouse of healing, father, we are praying this day that, mighty God and mighty Redeemer, that you will, at the appointed time, prove to be true without any delay, come through for us. So, father, we pray that, indeed, your Holy Spirit will continue to work in us.

Speaker 1: 6:09

Patience as we wait upon you, o God, and we ask that, mighty God and mighty Redeemer, that you, who is our Lord and our God, that you will continue to be our Lord and our God. And even when we grow weary, o God, we call upon you because you are our ever present, helping time of need, our refuge and our strong tower. And so, father, continue to build in us patience, continue to build in us the capacity to wait on your promises, not to self sabotage, not to quicken, not to move before you move, o God. And so, father, we thank you and we bless you, because you are the one who enables the outworking of the spirit of patience inside of us as we wait for the promise in our lives. We pray all this, believing and trusting in Jesus' need, amen.