The Power of Patience

“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.’” (Acts 1:4).

After Jesus’ crucifixion, the apostles found themselves in one of the most difficult positions imaginable. Their Messiah was gone from their lives. They left everything they had ever known—their families, their jobs, their lives—to follow Jesus, without hesitation. Once He was gone, they had the right to leave and return, mourning His loss in private. In fact, as His followers were being hunted by both the Romans and the Jewish leaders, they might have been better off leaving. But they didn’t and the reason was simple: Jesus asked them to wait. No matter their frustration, their loss, their worry, the apostles were instructed to wait, so they did. They were not told how long they were waiting, most were not even sure of the gift that would await them. They stayed simply because Jesus asked them to.

As Christians, and as preppers, we are called to do the same thing. We prepare. We change the way we think and the things we do. Some of us have changed our entire way of life. And now, we wait. We live with the reality of an unknown future, but just as the apostles before, we wait knowing we will be taken care of because of our faith in the Lord. Our patience and reliance on Him will keep us grounded and secure. And the reward will be more than we could have ever imagined. The apostles were gifted with the power of the Holy Spirit, the ultimate present the Father could give; He placed a part of Himself in each of us. The patience of the apostles resulted in a power they could never have dreamed of.

There is power in patience. It can be tough, it can be frustrating, and it can be hard. But, when we wait in the presence of God, we know we can never go wrong.

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Today in Christian History

May 16th

1540 – German reformer Martin Luther remarked: ‘In the worst temptations nothing can help us but faith that God’s Son has put on flesh, is bone, sits at the right hand of the Father, and prays for us. There is no mightier comfort.’

1850 – Birth of Arthur H. Mann, English church organist. In addition to being an authority on Handel, Mann also composed a number of sacred hymn tunes, including ANGEL’S STORY, to which we sing today, “O Jesus, I Have Promised.”

1866 – Missouri Lutheran Synod founder C.F.W. Walther wrote in a letter: ‘God carries on His work through men with whom it sometimes seems as if one would go to the right and the other to the left and the third one would hold back, and yet the work progresses.’

1920 – Popular Baptist pastor and denominational leader George Washington Truett, 53, preached his famous sermon, “Baptists and Religious Liberty,” to 15,000 people from the Capitol steps in Washington, D.C.

1929 – The Shaffer Lectureship was established at the Yale Divinity School, in memory of Kent Shaffer, Ph.B., 1907. The lectures are concerned with some phase of the life, character and teachings of Jesus. Lecturers have included C.H. Dodd (1935); Ralph W. Sockman (1936); Martin Dibelius (1937); and James Moffatt (1940).

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Source for Today In Christian History: www.studylight.org