Patient Victory

Instant gratification is a force that not only grasps, but also strangles the world. It intrudes into our everyday lives. Thank to the Internet, we can find out almost anything instantly. We don't have to read through book after book to find the answers we are looking for The information age has changed this world and the way we view our lives. Our desires have changed from wanting everything instantly, to expecting our desires instantly. This can lead to disaster, especially in our prayers lives. We believe that answers should come as soon as we ask. But God answers our prayers in three ways: Yes, no, and wait. Because we belong to Christ, we have victory over this world, but that does not mean we do not require patience. We see that God answered prayers in the Bible, but sometimes those prayers took a long time coming. Abraham was promised a son. After 24 years, Abraham became impatient, and took matters into his own hands. From this act of impatience came Ishmael, back to whom Islam traces its lineage. Isaiah was born 25 years after the initial promise. That is a long time to wait for an answered prayer. We have been promised victory, and we sometimes take that to believe that that victory should be instant. True, God has given us the means to conquer the world, but we are also called to be patient, not impatient. As P.G Matthew writes," Impatience robs us of great spiritual blessings. It is the mother of many griefs." If we know that we have victory in Christ, we should be excited. But that also means that we need to wait for Christ to bring the victory about, rather than trying to force it ourselves. Living Life