Peace is one of the most precious gifts God has promised His children. I know, because for many years my life was not peaceful, and I was miserable. So, to now have this peace and live in God’s rest is a treasure to me. And it is a gift that He wants all of us to have.
But to attain this peace and rest, I had to learn to be patient while God was working in my life, because it didn’t happen overnight. I had to learn to trust God while His peace was being cultivated in me, which is something we all learn in our walk with Him.
A trusting attitude and a patient attitude go hand in hand—when you trust God, you’re able to be more patient. And, when you let go and learn to trust God, it releases joy in your life. The truth is patience is not just about waiting for something…it’s about how you wait, or your attitude while waiting.
The key to it all is humility. Philippians 2:5 (AMPC) says, “Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility].”
Humility may well be one of the most difficult characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit to be cultivated in us—and to maintain. And without humility, it’s not likely that you will put your complete trust in God.
I have learned from personal experience that putting trust in God means there will be some unanswered questions. That was a hard lesson for me because I naturally want to understand everything…to know what’s going on so I can feel like I’m in control.
It’s just human nature to try and figure things out. So, when we’re in the midst of a situation, we usually try to reason our way through it. We generally want to know “Why, God, why?” or “When, God, when?” We want to know the outcome now. Our pride just has a hard time with not knowing, because not knowing means we’re not in control. But humility submits to what God is doing. This is where we must make a decision.
Where Will You Put Your Trust?
Deciding to trust God releases us from feeling like we have to have all the answers. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” The truth is we are just not smart enough to run our own lives … but God is!
And the good news is He will not promise us something and then leave us on our own to make it happen. His Word tells us that “no [one] who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed” (Rom. 10:11, AMPC).
Here’s something else I’ve discovered: God won’t give us the ability to solve our own problems. He’s got that covered. But He does give us the capacity to help someone else solve theirs. So, while we are putting our trust in Him to work in our situation, the best thing we can do is focus on being a blessing to others.
Check Your Attitude While You Wait
As I mentioned earlier, another essential part of trusting God is having patience. It is very important to realize this, because even when a decision is made to trust God, it doesn’t mean that things will just fall into place right away. We may have to wait—and wait longer than we think we should have to—on some things.
It’s important to understand that while we’re waiting, having a negative, impatient attitude will not make God hurry. The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness on what could have been an 11-day journey, mainly because of their attitude! When things were not going as they wanted, they began to murmur and complain and ultimately, they sinned against God, simply because they got impatient and stopped trusting Him.
A good question to ask yourself is, Will I continue to trust and obey God when I’m not getting what I want? Will you exercise patience while you wait on Him to work things out for you?
I encourage you to remember Proverbs 3:5-6. Make a conscious decision to put your trust in God … to entrust yourself and everything in your life to Him. Then you will free yourself to focus on loving and being a blessing to others. {eoa}
Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored more than 100 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Your Battles Belong to the Lord (FaithWords). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visit joycemeyer.org.
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