Wait for the LORD;
        be strong and take heart 
        and wait for the LORD. (Psalms 27:14)

Waiting is difficult! We wait for water to boil, for the traffic light to turn green, for the line at the Drive Up window to clear out so we can get our fries. All those are easy, however, compared to the long “wait" involved in developing any aspect of Christian character. 

That water takes a certain amount of time to boil is a matter the physical properties of the universe. That patience (a virtue) takes time to learn is a matter of the properties of the nonphysical universe. More intense heat boils the water faster, but intensity does not produce patience. Patience comes through applying our effort in a more effective way.  

Our primary task in learning patience is not in gritting our teeth, but in shaping our emotions. Our emotions are dependent on what and how we think. Over time we can change our emotions by changing what we are thinking about. If we are impatient as a listener, it may be because we do not respect the person speaking, or think that what we have to do is more important than this particular conversation. Patience in this instance comes from changing how we think about this person or situation — for example, by deciding to treat them with respect, not waiting for them to earn your respect.

There’s another level to patience deeper than our current conversation or circumstance: our part in The Story. It makes all the difference if we understand and put our hope in what God says he is doing with this world. 

The Story? God began the world by creating a garden in which he could be with Adam and Eve; Jesus lived among us full of grace and truth; God sent the Spirit to be in us and among us; and, God will one day remake the world so that those who trust him can be with him in a beautiful New Heaven and New Earth. That’s The Story God is writing, the story into which he has written us. 

Having The Story as the context for our conversations changes how we think about other players in The Story. We must assume that there are no bit players, even and including the slightly irritating person you are valiantly trying to listen to. Valuing the person allows better listening, and better listening means better loving. The second commandment from Jesus is, of course, "love your neighbor as yourself”.

But all this takes time — this developing character and becoming mature. Again, no one becomes a saint overnight. 

There are many things that have not yet been put right by our Lord, and so we must wait on his timing, trusting he will not only improve you and me, but one day make all things right.

    Wait for the LORD;
        be strong and take heart 
        and wait for the LORD. (Psalms 27:14)

It will be worth it!

During Lent we spend time talking about sin, and examining its effect on our lives. Sin brings pleasure, true, but also bondage. 

Jesus [said], “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. (John 8:34)

No one wants to be enslaved, yet we find our hearts betraying us. How?

Tim Keller observes:

the true god of your heart is what your thoughts effortlessly go to when there is nothing else demanding your attention. What do you enjoy daydreaming about? What occupies your mind when you have nothing else to think about? Do you develop potential scenarios about career advancement? Or material goods such as a dream home? Or a relationship with a particular person? One or two daydreams are not an indication of idolatry. Ask rather, what do you habitually think about to get joy and comfort in the privacy of your heart? — Counterfeit Gods, p.168

Choosing what we think about is one of the most basic and powerful things we can do. If our hearts are to be fully set free from the burdensome entanglements of our self-centeredness, we must choose carefully, relentlessly what we allow our minds to dwell upon.

But the habits of our hearts and minds are turned only slowly, and only through the power of the Holy Spirit. It has been rightly said no one becomes a saint in a day!

Try this today: Notice where your thoughts drift when you have a few moments alone. Don’t fix, just notice. Notice what you drift to repeatedly. This may take several days of being aware of your thoughts for you to be able to discern a pattern. 

As you begin to notice where you drift, ask the Holy Spirit, “So what’s going on here? Why do I love this? Why do I feel like I this?” 

After you notice and ask, listen. The Spirit loves to teach our hearts. 
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​One reason it is so easy to fall into complaining is the obvious fact that sometimes arrogant and self-absorbed people thrive. Self-centered people often find themselves rewarded for their actions and attitude. 

How can this be? It isn’t right!

King David counsels: 
Do not fret because of those who are evil 
        or be envious of those who do wrong;
    for like the grass they will soon wither,
        like green plants they will soon die away.
    Trust in the LORD and do good;
        dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. (Psalms 37:1–3)


David and his pastures! Doesn’t he see that evildoers thrive and God’s people suffer?

Doesn’t God see?!

    Trust in the LORD and do good;
        dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

The counsel we get from David is not a direct answer to our question. He does not directly address our pain or frustration. His answer is intentionally indirect. Indirect and psychologically astute.

Trust and enjoy God.

Trust is a decision to be confident in God, followed by a thousand little decisions to cooperate with God despite our circumstances. It is a refocusing from our negative circumstances to the positive that God brings about. We intentionally remember the good that God does and is. 

It is a way of paying attention to what we can control (our focus, our thoughts), and letting go of what we cannot control (evildoers, and the consequences of their actions).

We trust God because he is good. We trust God because that is something we can do — we can change our focus. It is a kind of spiritual discipline to notice and change what we think about. 

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can, 
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Amen.

We have been talking about what amounts to a paradigm shift. Reading Psalm 23 closely like this shows us the kind of life God offers us now. 

We tend to slip back into thinking that the Christian faith is about cleaning up our act, minding our tongue, or choosing to be loyal to the right side. While all of those are part of the process, none of them are the core of following Christ. The paradigm shift Psalm 23 invites us to make is to instead see God himself as the ongoing source of our life and refreshment.

Green pastures. Quiet waters. Right paths. No fear. Comfort. A banquet. Enemies at bay. 

None of the above are things we do or make. All are the result of walking with God, all are things we can receive from God as we are open to him.

Yesterday’s question: How can we experience the life God promises? 

Do you remember the thought experiment from a few days ago? “What next?” Turning our thoughts to Jesus as often as we can is one way to be open to what God offers. That openness allows the free flow of “quiet waters” to the deepest parts of us.

Over the next few days we will look at what kinds of things we can do to make ourselves open to what God wants to do in us. He wants to pour life into us so he can pour his love through us.

It’s a small shift that brings major benefits.

Lord, make us open to you today and always.
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Yesterday we looked at what it could mean to look to the Shepherd frequently during our day. Every time we have a pause in our day we can turn to God and ask “What’s next?” Have you tried it yet? 

The Apostle Paul writes:
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

Paul is saying that world turns our mind away from God. We become familiar with what we concentrate on. We can learn what we study. We come to know those whom we spend time with. It makes sense then that turning our thoughts to God — allowing him to shape our thinking — makes God’s purposes for our lives ring true.  

Those seeking God find God. Those fleeing God know him less and less. 

“If we allow everything access to our mind, we are simply asking to be kept in a state of mental turmoil or bondage. For nothing enters the mind without having an effect for good or evil.” — Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart, p.111

Turning our minds to our Lord frequently helps us to see the goodness of God and his path for our days. 

What’s your focus for today? 
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