Tag Archives: patience

Sometimes Being Smart Just Isn’t Enough

Posted on by

God, Give Me Wisdom. This is prayer number eight in Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To. Here is  today’s excerpt from Anthony DeStefano’s book:

When you ask God for wisdom, you are essentially asking him to give you the gift of himself. And as we’ve seen elsewhere in this book, that’s something he’s always eager to do. Remember, the goal of authentic spirituality is to be in union with God. That’s what the whole spiritual life comes down to. When you’re in union with God, you have direct and immediate access to all of the things that God is, and that includes peace, courage, love wisdom and truth. God wants you to have these things; he wants to shine his light on humanity, to speak his word unceasingly. Therefore, he wants to pour out wisdom on all of us. This is not profound theological thinking, it’s simple common sense. Have you ever heard it said of anyone that they had “the wisdom of Solomon”? Solomon, according to scripture was the wisest man who ever lived. There are several whole books of the Bible devoted to him. When King David died, Solomon became ruler of Israel. One night the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask me for anything you want.” Solomon thought hard about all the different obligations he had to fulfill as king and how overwhelmed he felt, and he decided to ask God for discernment so he could govern better. The Bible says that God was very pleased that he had prayed for this. He told him, “Since you have asked for wisdom and not long life, or wealth, or death of your enemies…I will grant your request and give you a discerning heart.” God was happy when Solomon asked for wisdom–and he’s happy when we ask for it.

I’ll have to admit that I don’t always remember to pray for wisdom, but when I do, somehow my days seem to go a little better. Sometimes my prayer is for the wisdom of Solomon, the faith of Mary, and the patience of Job…or as Jabez said, “Oh, that you would bless me, indeed.”

Monday: Will I Ever Be Happy Again?…God, Bring Good Out of This Bad Situation

A Prayer for Patience

Posted on by

Dear God, it seems that the times I need the most patience are when I have the least. Help me to recognize that I first need to be patient with myself and my own shortcomings before I can be patient with others; that it is from these shortcomings that I am short with others. Remind me daily that your unending patience with me is a gift to treasure, to learn from, and to share when and where most needed. Amen.

 

Thoughts on Caregiving

Posted on by

To some of us, caregiving can become a daunting task, especially when it is a loved one who goes from a healthy independent person to almost completely helpless.

Patience is tried, sleep is denied, and nerves become frayed from the enormity of the responsibility.

But think of it another way.

It is an awesome responsibility we have been entrusted with; the caregiving of another human being. We should feel privileged that God deemed us capable and worthy of this task.

“In as much as you did it to the least of these my brethern, you did it unto me.” Matthew 25:40

 

My Simple Needs

Posted on by

Today and every day, I have three needs…

The wisdom of Solomon

The faith of Mary

and the patience of Job.

God, grant me the patience to develop the faith to recognize the wisdom. Amen

 

About Job and Me

Posted on by

I’m sure we can all relate to many things and people in our day-to-day lives. Among the things and people I can relate to is good old Job in the Bible, for various reasons, which this chapter will reveal.

Chapter Thirty-Four  –  About Job and Me

Of all the people written about in the Bible, I can relate to Job the most. Here is a man who talked about coming naked from his mother’s womb. (Job 1:21). Didn’t we all?

He was living a good life, minding his own business, and had a wonderful relationship with his Father God. Satan didn’t like this, and told God that if Job had a few hardships to deal with once in awhile he wouldn’t be so faithful. God said Satan could do whatever he wanted to Job to test his faithfulness, except kill him. Satan was overjoyed, and went about destroying Job’s family, his livestock, and servants, leaving the poor man destitute and anguished. He afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet  to the top of his head. …….(Job 2:7)

All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching….(2 Timothy 3:16)

Tomorrow   –  Listen Up  –  A Lesson in Listening

 

A Mouse in the House

Posted on by

I’m sure we’ve all had to deal with mice at one time or another. They have an uncanny habit of inhabiting even the grandest of homes. Normally, I had no trouble catching the little creatures, but one in particular proved to be a problem.

Chapter Twenty-Eight  –  A Mouse in the House

Before Zoe came to us, Jerry and I had an unwelcome house guest — a mouse! I called him Mercury because he was as elusive as the substance in a pre-digital thermometer. Have you ever broken a mercury thermometer and tried to clean up the spill? It’s tricky.

I truly believe the little beastie had been to mouse school. He knew every trap in the book, and every food in the trap. At breakfast, the bait was a bit of peanut butter. It was still there at lunch time, so I replaced it with a piece of cheddar cheese. Meat loaf was his choice for dinner. None of these foods whetted his appetite, and I wondered what he was living on………

….the earth is full of your creatures. (Psalm 104:24)

Tomorrow  –  The Way I See It  –  A Lesson in Laying Down Your Life