Enduring Through the Unknown [Day 30]
By Stefanie Whittington
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:2-4 NLT)
Patience is not a strong suit of mine. It was not a natural gift God bestowed upon me, nor was it something I practiced in my childhood. It has made for some fun learning experiences in my adulthood. It has tested my faith when God hasn't given the immediate “yes” to every question I asked or every prayer I prayed. In my journey to better hear God, it even seems I hear Him the most clearly when He closes a door, sometimes even slamming it. Okay, I get the picture, loud and clear.
But every time a door is closed, and every time a prayer isn’t answered immediately or even in the way I expected, it’s given me a new way to see how God speaks to me. The last few years have been filled with uncertainty with job changes and layoffs, moves across the country (three times!), and a continued prayer for how to see the future and the plans God has for us.
But in all of that, every single prayer I prayed to ask for something—like a path to fulfilling a business dream I have, employment during dry spells, or a sign that maybe a family is in our future—I have been pushed to see that God’s plan is bigger, better, and much more rewarding that one I could have planned. It’s brought a sense of ease, especially during this COVID-19 season. A reminder that through all our practice in patience throughout these years, it continues to prepare us for the endurance we need to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And to know that whatever path God has for us, we will be complete and perfectly where He wants us to be.
Prayer
Lord, we are encircled by the unknown right now, boxed into what seems like a world we don’t even recognize. But You know exactly what comes next, exactly what our next season holds, and exactly how we’ll get there. Lord, give us patience, endurance, and grace for when we forget to trust in You. We surrender our will for Yours. Amen.
