By Keiko Chibana-Shinn | Rediscovering Prayer
This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
In Scripture, the first attribute that defines love is patience. Love is patient. I don’t know about you but I’m so thankful to know God is patient with me. His love is alive and active, working for me and through me.
As I meditate on the goodness of God, I pause for a heart-check by taking inventory on factors that affect my decisions toward spiritual growth. And I can acknowledge the influence of distracted living- the condemning thoughts, faulty priorities, and anxiety stemming from the perceived need to please people rather than attending to the true desire of my heart, Jesus. These factors, to name a few are the kind that swiftly and quietly come to compete against my quality time with Jesus in a daily basis. A prolific writer on Sabbath living wrote, “Offering attention to God requires freedom from bondage to yesterday and from fear for tomorrow.”
Let the prayer of our hearts be:
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. With all my heart I seek You; Do not let me wander… I have inherited Your testimonies forever. For they are the joy of my heart.
If you’re like me, you may continually find yourself in awe and wonder of why God chose you and called you into a rich and intimate relationship with Him. Jesus said, you did not choose me but I choose you… God the Father fashioned you in His mind before the foundations of the world. Before the ages began, He set you apart to glorify Him today not because of your good works but by His own purpose. In His patient love, Jesus called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light that you may bear much fruit… and fruit that would last.
The reality is that there is a battle between two kingdoms, the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. It’s happening today and affecting our world, our families and our present time. But we have the option to choose God, for His presence to come and align us in the comfort of His will. Jesus is our deliverer and it is for freedom He came to set us free from the power of sin and the devil’s grasp. What God promises He also performs it into action. He is not a man that He should lie, what He says- that very thing He will do for you.
The Word of God reminds us, Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. Let us make every day count. This is the day which the Lord has made. We cannot create our days, yet we act and think like we are just as efficient as He to make it all happen. With this perspective, the concept of time becomes a place of anguish and stress.
Don’t let the day’s pressure consume your thoughts and exhaust your patience. Let us submit to the work of the Holy Spirit rather than to the confidence and work of the flesh. For the love that has been poured into your heart is the kind of love that exerts eternal power and grace in the now to say “yes” to God’s rest and “no” to the anxious striving and the restless slumber. Surrender and enter into His rest to see His Spirit become your advantage for greater gains in the attitude of your heart.
Jesus says to you today: Come to me, you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. I am not slow to fulfill my will and promises, but I am patient with you… desiring at all cost to perfect you through the finished work of the cross with the passing of each day. Receive the gift of my today for I am with you wherever you go to supply you everything you need for life and godliness. Remain in Me. Abide in my love, today.