Day 33: The Patience of Prayer

Patience is something that I struggle with almost every day and sometimes multiple times per day. The Bible teaches us that we are to be patient and anxious for nothing. Philippians 4:6-7 states, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

We have several examples of patience in the Bible. One of the many examples is demonstrated in Exodus 32: 7–14 when Moses pleads with God to spare the Israelites. In verse 10, God clearly stated His plans, “Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them…” God’s patience and grace is later shown in verse 14- “So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.” God demonstrated a level of patience with the Israelites because of the intercession that Moses made.

So why do I stru

ggle with being patient? Could it be that I’m not praying for the right things and turning them over to God? I often ask myself these questions, and then I’m reminded of God’s promise to me in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that He will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I can handle. Many people know the part of verse 13 where it states, “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” The second half of the verse, “...but when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure...” contains the solution that I believe is often overlooked. I believe that one of the ways that God provides to us is through prayer. Prayer gives us the ability to make God aware of our requests.

We know we will be tempted, and we know that God listens to our prayers. Let’s make sure we continue to pray for things that we need strength in and be ready to hand them over to God. We know that God answers our prayers with ‘yes’, ‘no’, or sometimes ‘later’. I need to remind myself that when He doesn’t answer my prayers right away, maybe He is answering my prayers for increased patience.

Written by Daniel Kirby, a deacon at Mt. Juliet

# posted by JP @ 12:01 AM on Thursday, December 16, 2010

Comments:

Thanks for making us think about Patience and prayer - Great Lesson! Why didn't you teach me that yesterday! (just kidding) drs

# posted by

David R. Shannon : December 17, 2010 at 6:24 AM

You are a great example for so many at work Daniel. Don't be so hard on yourself. Great article.

# posted by

Jon Lowe : December 17, 2010 at 8:08 AM

Proud of you Daniel....1 day/mile at a time :)

# posted by

David : December 17, 2010 at 9:13 AM



Day 33: The Patience of Prayer Patience is something that I struggle with almost every day and sometimes multiple times per day. The Bible teaches us that we are to be patient and anxious for nothing. Philippians 4:6-7 states, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” We have several examples of patience in the Bible. One of the many examples is demonstrated in Exodus 32: 7–14 when Moses pleads with God to spare the Israelites. In verse 10, God clearly stated His plans, “Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them…” God’s patience and grace is later shown in verse 14- “So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.” God demonstrated a level of patience with the Israelites because of the intercession that Moses made. So why do I struggle with being patient? Could it be that I’m not praying for the right things and turning them over to God? I often ask myself these questions, and then I’m reminded of God’s promise to me in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that He will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I can handle. Many people know the part of verse 13 where it states, “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” The second half of the verse, “...but when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure...” contains the solution that I believe is often overlooked. I believe that one of the ways that God provides to us is through prayer. Prayer gives us the ability to make God aware of our requests. We know we will be tempted, and we know that God listens to our prayers. Let’s make sure we continue to pray for things that we need strength in and be ready to hand them over to God. We know that God answers our prayers with ‘yes’, ‘no’, or sometimes ‘later’. I need to remind myself that when He doesn’t answer my prayers right away, maybe He is answering my prayers for increased patience. Written by Daniel Kirby, a deacon at Mt. Juliet # posted by JP @ 12:01 AM on Thursday, December 16, 2010 Comments: Thanks for making us think about Patience and prayer - Great Lesson! Why didn't you teach me that yesterday! (just kidding) drs # posted by David R. Shannon : December 17, 2010 at 6:24 AM You are a great example for so many at work Daniel. Don't be so hard on yourself. Great article. # posted by Jon Lowe : December 17, 2010 at 8:08 AM Proud of you Daniel....1 day/mile at a time :) # posted by David : December 17, 2010 at 9:13 AM Post a Comment << Home	Mt. Juliet Church of Christ 1940 N. Mt. Juliet Road P.O.Box 248 Mt.Juliet, TN 37122-0248 (615)758-2274 Fax:615-754-2351 Email Worship Services: Sunday Early Worship: 8AM Sunday Bible Study: 9:15AM Sunday Late Worship: 10:15AM Night Worship: 6PM Wednesday Bible Study: 7PM Past Archives: November 2010 December 2010

Day 33: The Patience of Prayer

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