“Don’t despise small beginnings…”
“Though your beginning is small, your latter will greatly increase ”
Job 8:7
Tag Archives: patience
Patient Endurance
“Remember the former days
When, after you were enlightened,
You endured a great struggle with sufferings.
Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten,
Sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things.
You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail,
And when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy.
You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.
So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord.
Remember the great reward it brings you!
Patient endurance is what you need now,
So that you will continue to do God’s will.
Then you will receive all that He has promised.”
Hebrews 10:32-35
Tree of Life Version and New Living Translation
Wonders
“Remember the wonders He has performed,
His miracles…”
I Chronicles 16:11
Quietly Waiting
“Let all that I am
wait quietly before God,
for my expectation
is from Him.”
Psalm 62:5
A Time of Reckoning
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18
To reckon, is to establish by counting or calculation, and today, as I struggle with pain and limitations as I recover from surgery, I am reminded that, in calculating the number of difficulties and painful events that have occurred in my life, I am encouraged and inspired to think of what God has in store for those who love Him, those who are called according to his purpose. Paul, in reckoning all of his pain and suffering, just lays it out there for us in II Corinthians 11:24-27; “… five times received I forty stripes save one. I was beaten three times with rods, stoned once, three times I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, (that’s me today, lol ), in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”
I don’t suppose that many of us can say that we’ve suffered to this extent, and I’m in no way trying to belittle anyone else’s experience, yet Paul kept moving forward and I’m so glad that he did because during these tremendous hardships, He wrote most of the epistles of the New Testament. Most of them from prison. In light of all of this, and considering the hardships that we may be facing, we too can reckon that none of it compares to the glory that shall be revealed in us, as we, like Paul, keep moving forward and looking up…
Suffering
Suffering may endure for a season
And we wonder when relief will come.
Is this for a time of testing
A really deep trial for some?
Day by day we endure our heartaches,
Often questioning why,
We don’t seem to fully understand
And we come before God with a sigh!
“Just quiet yourself in My presence,” He says,
“I have blessings for you in store,
This time with me will be precious,
Even more than ever before.”
The wonderful promises in God’s Holy Word
Bring comfort, encouragement and peace,
And as we nestle up close to Him.
Our Faith brings sweet release.
So let us joyfully praise the Lord,
If, through suffering we can learn,
Truths that will help to guide our way,
And His Word more clearly discern.
Elsie K. Young
To Those Who Stand and Wait…
“When I consider how my light is spent
Before half my days, In this dark world and wide
And that one Talent which is death to hide,
Lodged with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, least He returning chide,
Doth God exact day-labor, light denied
I fondly ask; But patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need
Either man’s work or his own gifts, who best
Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best, His State
Is Kingly. Thousands at His bidding speed
And post o’re Land and Ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait.”
“On His Blindness” by John Milton 1608-1674
My Time Will Come
“…The race is not to the swift
New Living Translation
“I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It…all (happens) by chance, … being in the right place at the right time.”
“Time and chance happens to them all” NKJV
Ecclesiastes 9:11
Quietly Wait
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope
It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: Great is Thy faithfulness.
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him.
The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him,
To the soul that seeks Him.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”
“In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.“
Lamentations 3:21-26 and Isaiah 30:15
Quietness
“In quietness and confidence is your strength.” Isaiah 30:15
The Microwave Treatment
Sometimes it’s hard to wait when you’re praying for something special to happen, and I know what that feels like…
Once, while I was waiting for my miracle, I had a dream. It had been about 6 months since I had surgery and I was growing more and more impatient about having a baby. I thought I’d get pregnant right away. But that’s not what happened.
One night, I had a very interesting dream
There were two parts to this dream. First, I dreamt that we were visiting some friends for dinner and as the men talked in the living room, I sat in the kitchen while the food was being prepared. I was shocked to see that my friend was spooning raw, runny, red, hamburger meat, into taco shells and placing them in the microwave to be cooked. “YUCK!” I thought to myself, and when she had finished cooking, she topped them with all the trimmings, but I just couldn’t bring myself to eat any, because I saw the way that they were prepared with raw meat, and this really grossed me out!
In the second part of my dream, I was in a meat shop, and I was trying to buy a beef roast which was turning slowly on a spit. I was in a hurry, and I told the man cooking the meat that I had been waiting a long time, and was ready to go. He looked at me and said “I’m sorry ma’am but it’s not ready yet. I said “Are you sure? It looks like it’s done.” then he pulled out a long sharp-pointed thing, and pierced through the meat, and all of this red, runny, gook came pouring out. He was right. The meat was not ready… It was as if both parts of the dream had the same meaning.
When I woke up, I thought that maybe this dream had something to do with my healing from surgery, and how I was not yet healed up enough on the inside.
A few days later, I was sitting in the park, watching my son and daughter at soccer practice, when I saw a friend from church. She asked me how I was recovering from the surgery. I told her that I was doing fine, but that I was really ready to have another baby, “After all”, I said “I’m 35 years old!”…She was nearly 50, and told me that I was still young enough to have another baby. “God’s timing is perfect… Just be patient!..I had my last baby when I was 40 years old. ” she said. I smiled, shrugged my shoulders, and said, “But I’ve been waiting so long already.” Then she said, ” Faith, you just had surgery… You need time to heal.” She laughed and said jokingly, .. “What you want is the Microwave Treatment!!”
When she said this, I knew that it was a confirmation of the dream that I’d had a few days earlier… “The Microwave Treatment”… It was true! I didn’t want to wait any longer.. I wanted my miracle,and I wanted it now! This instant… In fact, I wanted it yesterday!!
I was reminded by this incident, that God is in control, and I accepted that He knows best. I would just have to be patient and wait…
Three years later, I realized my miracle, and was expecting our little girl.
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage…”
Psalm 27:14
Hang In There
“By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”
Charles Spurgeon
Suffering
For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment
worketh for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory.
2 Corinthians 4:7
Suffering may endure for a season,
And we wonder when relief will come.
Is this for a time of testing
A really deep trial for some?
Day by day we endure our heartaches,
Often questioning why,
We don’t seem to fully understand
And we come before God with a sigh!
“Just quiet yourself in My presence,” He says,
“I have blessings for you in store,
This time with me will be precious,
Even more than ever before.”
The wonderful promises in God’s Holy Word
Bring comfort, encouragement and peace,
And as we nestle up close to Him.
Our Faith brings sweet release.
So let us joyfully praise the Lord,
If, through suffering we can learn,
Truths that will help to guide our way,
And His Word more clearly discern.
Elsie K. Young
Golden
“Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.” Charles Spurgeon
“But He knows the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
Job 23:10
Beautiful
“He hath made every thing beautiful in His time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11
Hang In There
“By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”
Charles Spurgeon
Victorious
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”
Romans 8:35 and 37
Throwback Thursday- Crazy Faith
It’s Throwback Thursday and “Crazy Faith” is all about having faith, and believing God for what seems impossible, regardless of your circumstances. Read more and be encouraged!
There was a time when, my family, friends, and neighbors would have thought that “Crazy Faith” would be a perfect title for my autobiography! :)
I know that this is true, because once, when I was in the final months of my pregnancy, (you know, the pregnancy that I prayed 10 years for), I overheard someone talking to a neighbor, saying; “We all thought that Faith was losing her mind!… While she was struggling with her health and praying for another baby, her mother and sister would call and say, “We’re really concerned about Faith..” They thought that I was going crazy!!!I never knew this before, so when I heard it, I laughed, and said, “That’s OK… They thought that Noah was crazy too, but it sure did rain didn’t it? So, I’m in good company!”
It all began 15 years earlier, when I read Luke 8:48, “Daughter, your faith has made you whole…”,
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Quietness
“In quietness and trust is your strength.” Isaiah 30:15
Suffering
Suffering may endure for a season,
And we wonder when relief will come.
Is this for a time of testing
A really deep trial for some?
Day by day we endure our heartaches,
Often questioning why,
We don’t seem to fully understand
And we come before God with a sigh!
“Just quiet yourself in My presence,” He says,
“I have blessings for you in store,
This time with me will be precious,
Even more than ever before.”
The wonderful promises in God’s Holy Word
Bring comfort, encouragement and peace,
And as we nestle up close to Him.
Our Faith brings sweet release.
So let us joyfully praise the Lord,
If, through suffering we can learn,
Truths that will help to guide our way,
And His Word more clearly discern.
Elsie K. Young
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory.” -2 Corinthians 4:7
Can a Mother Forget?
Sometimes when we’ve been praying for something for a very long time, we begin to lose heart, and wonder if the answer will ever come. I know exactly how that feels. I remember praying and praying for God to work a miracle in my life, and sometimes, I felt that God had forgotten about me and my situation. Of course we know that God sees us always, and knows everything about our lives, but still, it is true of us as humans, that we sometimes think that our situation may not be as urgent to God as we would like for it to be. This is so not true!
At one of my lowest points, the LORD gave me a verse which comforted me and reassured me, and to this day, this verse is very near and dear to my heart. In Isaiah 49:15-16, the Lord says, “Can a mother forget her nursing child?… Yes, she might, but I have not forgotten you… I have you engraved on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” This is how I understood what He was saying to me through this verse:
1. “Can a mother forget her nursing child?” – Naturally, the answer to this question would be a resounding, “No.” We all know how attached a mother is to her newborn baby, and so we understand the significance of this question. But…
2. “Yes, she might,” – Although it would seem impossible for a mother to forget or abandon her newborn child, it has happened, as unbelievable as it would seem, sadly, it has been the case for some mothers. But…
3. “I have not forgotten you” – God is saying that His love and care for us is even greater than a mother’s love. Infinitely greater. How so?…
4. “I have you engraved on the palms of my hands” – Here, I pictured the palms of my Savior’s Hands, which still bear the nail scars, pierced for me… And then…
5. “Your walls are continually before me.” – My situation and all that surrounds me, is continually before Him!… Oh, Glory to God!!
Here it is in a nutshell…
God loves you, more than you can imagine, He has not forgotten you, and your situation is continually, always, before Him… Hold on. :)
New Strength
Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Under The Mulberry Tree
“Quietly waiting and listening, anticipating a blessing.”
There is a story found in 2 Samuel, chapter 5:17 – 25, where David has just been anointed king over Israel, and when all of the Philistines heard this, they set out to fight against him in battle. The bible says that the Philistines “spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim”, and here’s what I love about David; he always asks the Lord first before he does anything! ( I would love to go much deeper on this subject, but that’s another post, so please stay tuned!) The bible says that “…David enquired of the LORD, saying “Shall I go up to the Philistines? Wilt Thou deliver them into my hand?” And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.” So David went to battle with the Philistines, the LORD was with him, and he defeated them.
Not long after this the Philistines regrouped, and returned to attack David again. You would think that David would just “take them on” in confidence, knowing that God was with him before. and so naturally he would be victorious again, but no. David again enquired of the LORD, and it’s a good thing too,because this time the LORD had different battle plan in mind for him. (This is so exciting I can hardly wait to write it!!)
God told David that he was not to use the same strategy to defeat the Philistines as he did last time. This time, he was to come up from behind them, waiting in ambush under the mulberry trees… The LORD said “… When you hear the sound of a rustling in the tops of the mulberry trees, get ready to attack, for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.” And David did as the LORD commanded him; and smote the Philistines…” AWESOME!!!
This is so exciting! It was actually as if God Himself was in the trenches with David, and from the heavens, He would “tickle” the tops of the mulberry trees, to signal David that He was with him, and would go before him, and would give him the victory!
Just imagine David and his troops, quietly waiting and listening, in anticipation for God to do something great on their behalf. Now, imagine yourself in the same position…
“Quietly waiting and listening, anticipating a blessing!” God Bless You. :)
The Microwave Treatment
Sometimes it’s hard to wait when you’re praying for something special to happen, and I know what that feels like…
Once, while I was waiting for my miracle, I had a dream. It had been about 6 months since I had 18 tumors removed, and I was growing more and more impatient about having a baby. I thought that once the tumors were removed, I’d get pregnant right away. But that’s not what happened… One night, I had a very interesting dream…
It was actually two dreams at once. During the we were visiting some friends for dinner and I sat in the kitchen while the food was being prepared. I was shocked to see that my friend was spooning raw, runny, red, hamburger meat, into taco shells and placing them in the microwave to be cooked. “YUCK!” I thought to myself, and when she had finished cooking, she topped them with all the trimmings, but I just couldn’t bring myself to eat any, because I saw the way that they were prepared with raw meat, and this really grossed me out!
In the second part of my dream, I was in a meat shop, and I was trying to buy a beef roast which was turning slowly on a spit. I was in a hurry, and I told the man cooking the meat that I had been waiting a long time, and was ready to go. He looked at me and said “I’m sorry ma’am but it’s not ready yet. I said “Are you sure? It looks like it’s done.” then he pulled out a long sharp-pointed thing, and pierced through the meat, and all of this red, runny, gook came pouring out. He was right. The meat was not ready… It was as if both parts of the dream had the same meaning.
When I woke up, I thought that maybe this dream had something to do with my healing from surgery, and how I was not yet healed up enough on the inside…
A few days later, I was sitting in the park, watching my son and daughter at soccer practice, when I saw a friend from church. She asked me how I was recovering from the surgery. I told her that I was doing fine, but that I was really ready to have another baby, “After all”, I said “I’m 35 years old!”…She was nearly 50, and told me that I was still young enough to have another baby. “God’s timing is perfect… Just be patient!..I had my last baby when I was 40 years old. ” she said. I smiled, shrugged my shoulders, and said, “But I’ve been waiting so long already.” Then she said, ” Faith, you just had surgery… You need time to heal.” She laughed and said jokingly, .. “What you want is the Microwave Treatment!!“…
When she said this, I knew that it was a confirmation of the dream that I’d had a few days earlier… “The Microwave Treatment”… It was true! I didn’t want to wait any longer.. I wanted my miracle,and I wanted it now! This instant… In fact, I wanted it yesterday!!
I was reminded by this incident, that God is in control, and I accepted that He knows best. I would just have to be patient and wait…
Three years later, I realized my miracle, and was expecting our little girl.
Patience!
Faithrises 