Devotions
Stay in the city - a lesson about patience
While he was with them, he declared, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me.” – Acts 1:4 (NET)
Many
years ago, I was waiting at a bus stop on a cold day in December. An elder
woman was waiting with me at the bus stop. The bus delayed coming. The delay
was long and unusual. When it is cold, even 2 minutes feel like half an hour.
But it was more than a 15-minute delay. At some point, the old lady could not
stand the cold anymore, and she said to me, “I am going to find a shelter”. I
was so tempted to follow her, but the thought of missing the bus and waiting
again made me feel colder. I had already suffered a lot, I did not want my
suffering to be in vain, so I decided to wait outside against the cry of my
flesh that needed a respite. Just a few minutes after the lady left, the bus
came, and she missed it. I suppose she had to wait for more time under the same
cold.
As
human beings, we have no patience. If you find a naturally patient person, for
whom being patient does not require efforts or the grace from heaven, know that
you have found a rare gem, a rare species. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit
(Galatians 5:22). Therefore, it is not carnally possible. Unfortunately for us,
everything good requires patience. Walking with God requires patience. His
blessings, his intervention are defined in time and place. There is a designed
place for you where God will bless you; there is a determined time when God will
act. You have to be at that place when the time arrives so you can receive the
promise. Any disciple who was not waiting in Jerusalem did not experience the
first baptism in the Holy Spirit. You have to stay in the place where God told
you to wait because if you move, you will miss your visitation. Sometimes, the conditions are so severe that waiting feels
intolerable, and quitting would be understandable to anyone. However, no one but yourself knows the
importance of what you are waiting for. Let that reason gives you the courage
to wait under that otherwise unbearable weather, and to wait patiently.
Patience is more than waiting, though. It is also your attitude during the
waiting phase. Patience is what allows you to be calm and grateful as you wait.
It takes away murmuring and complaining from your mouth. Patience will keep
your head cool, so it will not run crazy trying to find your solutions when
God’s solution is taking time to come.
There
is a saying in my country that if you are not patient, you will eat a
half-cooked meal, and I learned that half-cooked food causes indigestion,
diarrhea and sometimes food poisoning. Impatience bears disaster. King Saul
became impatient as he waited for the prophet Samuel. The condition was so
pressing for him that some soldiers started deserting. And on top of that,
Samuel did not come at the set time he was supposed to come. In his impatience
and haste, he tried to create his own solution and did what he was not supposed
to do. Sometimes I feel sorry for him; he was under pressure, the enemy was
approaching, and the prophet Samuel was nowhere to be seen! This is how
sometimes we excuse ourselves and try to justify our actions. We say things
like; the clock is ticking, God is not doing what he said he would do, let me
find my own solution! It is the language of the flesh. Unfortunately for Saul,
and unfortunately for anyone with such thinking, God does not excuse
foolishness under no circumstances. He condemned Saul’s actions saying, “you
have done a foolish thing..., now your kingdom will not endure” (1 Samuel
13:11-14). May God grant us the grace to be patient and to be grateful and
hopeful as we wait to eat the well-cooked meal God is preparing for us.
Posted : Mar 30, 2026