Patience
Hurry up and wait
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You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
James 5:8 (ESV)
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This one has a kind of weird juxtaposition.
In the same breath, James tells us to be patient and to watch out for the imminent return of the Lord.
To me, patience has this kind of lackadaisical attitude with it (probably poor thinking on my part, but that’s how my mind works). But that contrasts greatly with the urgency I feel to accomplish ALL the things before Christ returns.
How can I be both patient & urgent?
For me, I have to slow my plans down and wait on the Lord.
There’s a Proverbs verse that tells me that people make all kinds of plans but only the Lord’s purposes will stand. I don’t see anything wrong with making plans — and even working to execute those plans — but I must do it with an open mind.
I must leave room for God to do His thing.
Woe be to me if I decide to try and get in God’s way.
Anyway, I mention all of this because it creates a unique tension to this verse.
That I should be a man who patiently waits upon the Lord … yet still works with an urgent fervor to help fulfill the Great Commission as soon as possible.
Personally, my problem is not the patience part, it’s the heavenly urgency.
But I also recognize that plenty of people may have the opposite struggle. If so, I pray that today’s email helps inspire you.
And if you’d like to send any prayer requests my way, just reply to this email.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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