Thank-you to Monica for sharing Battling the Unbelief of Impatience (John Piper. Sermon on Isaiah 30:1-5). May you, as Monica, find encouragement from these words during a season of waiting.
In God’s Place, at God’s Pace
Impatience is a form of unbelief. It’s what we begin to feel when we start to doubt the wisdom of God’s timing or the goodness of his guidance. It springs up in our hearts when the road to success gets muddy or strewn with boulders or blocked by some fallen tree. The battle with impatience can be a little skirmish over a long wait in a checkout lane. Or it can be a major combat over a handicap or disease or circumstance that knocks out half your dreams.
The opposite of impatience is not a glib, superficial denial of frustration. The opposite of impatience is a deepening, ripening, peaceful willingness either to wait for God where you are in the place of obedience, or to persevere at the pace he allows on the road of obedience—to wait in his place, or to go at his pace. . . .
How does the psalmist battle against impatience in his heart?
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
And in his word I hope [Psalm 130:5]. . . .— By John Piper. ©2013 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org.
Please consider this a teaser. The audio and text of Battling the Unbelief of Impatience are available for free online.
BONUS: Two Emerging Scholars Network Blog posts which dig into patience . . .
- On Technology, Thanksgiving, and Patience — David. 11/29/2013.
- On Transitions (Part II) — Heather. August 30, 2012.
Invitation: If you have a “word”/resource to share with regard to waiting upon the Lord, in particular for those facing difficult circumstances and transitions, please post below and/or email the Emerging Scholars Network. Thank-you.
Tom enjoys daily conversations regarding living out the Biblical Story with his wife Theresa and their four girls, around the block, at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church (where he teaches adult electives and co-leads a small group), among healthcare professionals as the Northeast Regional Director for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), and in higher ed as a volunteer with the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN). For a number of years, the Christian Medical Society / CMDA at Penn State College of Medicine was the hub of his ministry with CMDA. Note: Tom served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA for 20+ years, including 6+ years as the Associate Director of ESN. He has written for the ESN blog from its launch in August 2008. He has studied Biology (B.S.), Higher Education (M.A.), Spiritual Direction (Certificate), Spiritual Formation (M.A.R.), Ministry to Emerging Generations (D.Min.). To God be the glory!