Our pilgrimage to God is a marathon. Hence it’s not about speed but about endurance. It’s as much about taking care of our faith along the way as learning to praise God in the midst of anything and everything. Our marathon will be finished the same way it was started: By taking steps of faith in hope.

We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8: 24-25, CEB)

Faith is faith because we can’t prove it with our five senses. Faith is above senses. Faith is trusting God and his timing even when we can’t understand what’s going on. Our faith needs patience to endure whatever it is that come along the way. The lack of patience will eat us up.

What to do then? How can we practice patience and cultivate endurance along the way? We are to give our weaknesses to God and allow God to replace them with grace, trust, and praise.

In the same way, the Spirit comes to help our weakness. We don’t know what we should pray, but the Spirit himself pleads our case with unexpressed groans. The one who searches hearts knows how the Spirit thinks, because he pleads for the saints, consistent with God’s will. We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8: 26-28, CEB)

The best way to practice patience is through prayer. We don’t necessarily even know about what to pray but when we come before the Lord in prayer, the Holy Spirit prays through us. There is no way we can have passionate patience and endure in faith if we don’t stick in close relationship to God. We can do so through prayer and praise.

When we learn to praise even when we don’t feel like it, our faith gets strengthened with patience and endurance. Then we know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God. And we keep on taking steps of faith in hope. Until we reach home.

 

Gracious God,
Draw us near to you.
Breath in us life and love.
Lead us step by step.
Give us passionate patience,
cultivate endurance in us.
So we could dance in your grace
along the way.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: How do you practice patience & cultivate endurance?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you stay in close relationship with God!

Image courtesy of Daniel R. Linking up today with What’s on Your Heart Tuesdays & Soli Deo Gloria.