When the Son of God had His patience tried

It has long been a joke amongst mothers to never pray for patience for then you just might have to use it!

In my continuing study of Luke, I observed in chapter 4 that Jesus was led BY the Holy Spirit into the wilderness TO be tempted by the evil one. There Satan tried the patience of the Son of God. Would Jesus be willing to wait for physical provision, willing to wait for the truth to be revealed about him at the resurrection, willing to wait for God's timing to have all that the Father promised? Or...would he choose to make it happen and have some of it...right...now?

When His patience was tested, we see that Jesus used the Word of God to defeat Satan's tactics, keeping the main thing the main thing and avoiding specific challenges by him.

The scriptures He chose give us guidance for what we should do when our patience is tested while we wait on God:

**Find nourishment in the Word of God just as much as actual food... (Luke 4:4, Deut. 8:3)

**Worship solely the Lord and not any hidden idols of pride and selfishness in our lives... (Luke 4:8, Deut. 6:13)

**Don't put the Father to the test by doubting His presence and what He has promised in His timing. [Jesus words here in Luke 4:12 are a direct quote from Deut. 6:16 which references the Israelite's doubt in the wilderness in Ex. 17:2-7].

We need to be aware that Satan can use scripture to tempt us to put the Lord to the test in our lives....(Luke 4:10-11, also Gen. 3:1). Putting the Lord to the test seems to involve doubting what He has already said He will do (Ex. 17:7), asking for a sign to validate what God has said (Isa. 7:12), not taking obedience, sin and it's consequences seriously (Acts 5:9). [The Ex. 17:2-7 is repeatedly mentioned in scripture throughout the old and new testaments as a warning not to put the Lord to the test.]

Now, if the Evil One knows scripture, that encourages me all the more to make my times in the Word a priority. I don't want to be like Eve, and get it wrong (Gen 3:3). Thankfully, we have someone we can go to that understands and has the power to help us in our struggles with patience.

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. -- Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV

How Jesus Grew

Lately, I've been doing a Bible study by a mentor of mine through the Gospel of Luke. In studying chapter 2, two verses were really impressed upon me:

vs. 40 "And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him." --infancy -12 years old

vs. 52 "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man."--12 years - 30 years old

The child Jesus ...

Grew in Strength .... of spirit

Grew in Stature ... of body & mind

Stayed Submissive ... to his earthly parents (vs. 51)

I'm challenged by the order of this. We take the children to well-checks at the doctor to see how their bodies are growing; we watch carefully over their grades to see how they are doing in school. I am moved by this to make sure that I am giving just as much if not earlier attention to see that they grow strong in their spirits.

My Desert Song

One of my current favorite worship songs is: Desert Song by Hillsong. My son was listening to it the other day on Pandora and asked me what the song was about. With an "I'm so glad you asked" mindset, I tried to describe to him how there are times when we struggle to understand what God is doing around us. We might feel discouraged, confused, and have more questions than answers about something important to us.

Then, in a roll-reversal moment, he plainly stated an observation about deserts that taught me more than I probably imparted to him that day. "Well, yah Mom. That makes sense, because what else is there to do in the desert but ride a camel and drink water from a cactus."

In my struggles to understand what the Lord is doing, I am often only searching to drink at an oasis. They're beautiful, lush, refreshing .... They're also very few in the desert. I want to pass up the prickly opportunities to be nourished along the way hoping that an oasis will be just around the corner. My son's comment was a reminder to me that the Lord often supplies refreshment in the most unlikely and thorny of places. The thorns of the cactus make me not want to touch it. "Stay Away!" They shout. "I'll hurt you!" Then, I think. "Lord, you can't possibly want to use this to bring me closer to you. It's painful. I don't want to be uncomfortable."

Yet, here's the thing. As a child, I didn't understand how to handle the thorns of a cactus. They looked small and non-threatening. A few pokes later, I reasoned that the gardening tools my mother was using were a pretty good idea. There is a word for this: Wisdom. It's the same way in our deserts. When the thorny opportunities come to us, there are tools to cut into such things. I just need to choose to use them. If I choose not to pick up the Word of God and read it, I get stuck by the thorns. If I choose not to cultivate prayer time, I get stuck by the thorns.

Wandering in a spiritual desert is a difficult time. Our discouragement may make it difficult for us to do the very things that will give us water to drink. I was in that place again recently, and I'm grateful that I picked up my sword. The cacti are coming open a lot easier again.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

John 4:13-14 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

The Waiting Room

We have been waiting this year. Waiting in God's waiting room. Shane and Shane (www.shaneandshane.com)
have a song called 'Waiting Room' that parallels what we experienced.

Lord i know if i change my mind
You will change my heart in time
Sovereign Lord this time's from You
so i sit in the waiting room of silence
cause its all about You

He designed our time here, and just recently, our name was called to move on. After facing a year of uncertainty in my husband's employment, our souls were parched and bewildered wondering if we had missed anything else in this time of self-examination. No, it had so much less to do with us, and so much more to do with God's orchestration of events. It continues to amaze me that when I think nothing more can be squeezed out of a deadline, He does it, and so masterfully like only the Creator God can.

He is a good and faithful God. Even though moving to a new state was not part of my plan for this year, His goodness awaits my family and I there. Though the boxes and the parting goodbyes are never easy nor pleasant, I am so thankful to be out of the waiting room.