For today’s Bible Quotes about Patience, I’m starting in the Book of Psalms. Psalm 27:14 states, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the Lord!” As we take a closer look at each of these verses I will be sharing for the next 31 Days, we’ll not only be looking at the words, who spoke them, to whom and why, but also their placement–literal placement in the text and in time. I think it rather appropriate to begin this series with a verse that does not even contain the word, “patience.” Say what?
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Part of the reason I find this verse so fitting is because of its title in my Bible, “Triumphant Song of Confidence.” We are beginning with the end in mind, that title is our ultimate goal in acquiring and practicing the virtue of patience; a triumph of confidence.
You see, we’re not just trying to be patient for the sake of patience. We’re trying to be patient because it means we’re forgetting ourselves and placing all our trust–our entire selves in God’s hands, in His plans, and most importantly, in His timing. Do you see why patience is so hard? It’s all about us and yet at the same time, more about God.
Let’s talk about the battle against self and how sometimes, battles can be scary and how we can hold our head up while fighting. One of the best ways I have found to stay strong and courageous in the face of fear is to talk myself into courage. I’m talking about daily affirmations–reminding myself of the truth as a means to combat a lie.
I battled fear, anxiety and very scary thoughts by replacing the lies attacking me with the truth. Have you seen the acronym for F.E.A.R? It stands for False. Evidence. Appearing. Real. Those scary thoughts assaulting me–false! That anxiety crushing me–false! The only way out of false evidence appearing real–truth! Which brings me to some daily affirmations found in this Psalm. These affirmations take the focus off ourselves and remove the urgency that causes us to be impatient. I’m willing to bet if we started repeating these scripture affirmations to ourselves, we would be well on our way of combating impatience.
vs 1–The Lord is my light and my salvation, I am not afraid.
vs 2–The Lord is my stronghold, I am not afraid.
vs 3–I don’t have to jump to defend myself against others. I am confident the Lord will protect and defend me. (This verse reminds me of a couple of saints who were falsely accused and remained silent.)
vs 5–The Lord hides me,
vs 6–The Lord lifts my head.
vs 6–I offer sacrifices, sing and shout with joy.
vs 7-8–I seek the Lord alone.
vs 9–The Lord is my help.
vs 10–Even when those closest to me forsake me–the Lord takes care of me.
vs 13– I see the goodness of the Lord.
vs 14–My heart is courageous because I wait for the Lord.
Just listed out, these verses may not make sense as we consider patience in the Bible. But let’s try putting them into a real life situation that may cause use to act impatiently.
There is a situation, any situation and I think I immediately need to act on it. Well, that would actually be a reaction. But if I stopped myself, repeated a couple of these affirmations about the Lord taking care of me, protecting me or hiding me, then I can patiently wait or patiently come up with a plan–not a reaction.
Finally, I love that the Psalmist has this verse at the end of this chapter. This verse follows the Psalmist extolling the attributes of God and then asking Him, “Teach me Thy way, O Lord; and lead me on a level path…”
I think that verse is something each one of us needs to pray when we find ourselves struggling with impatience.
Carmel says
I wish I could post a picture here because I would like to show you my Psalm 27 after I read your blog. I’ve read that psalm hundreds of times and seemed to only focus on v. 4. There is so, so much more there — Thank you for pointing it out, Jenny!! {heart}
Jenny says
AMDG–All for the Glory of God! Send it to me on Facebook.