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by Lynda Bryan Davis
Words Of Inspiration | The Patience Race Part II
Putting Patience Into Practice
PSALM 37:3-7a Trust in the Lord, and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou
shalt be fed. 4Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5Commit thy way
unto the Lord; trust also in Him and he shall bring it to pass. 6And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the
light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him;
PSALM 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of
my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
 Beloved, as the 37th Psalm so eloquently describes the way for us - delight
yourself in the Lord, commit your way to Him, trust in Him, then rest and wait patiently for Him to move,
perhaps it is a reminder to us in these troubled times that God never gives us more than we can handle but
will with the problem also make a way of escape (1Corinthians 10:13). These words of
inspiration are written with the intent to encourage persistence during hardships, to give one hope in
distress or discouragement, and perhaps strength through the words of encouragement to hold on and keep the
faith in the face of any adversity because our God will never leave us or forsake us.
In The Patience Race Part 1 we discussed not only how important it is to have faith, but how crucial it is to
exercise patience with that faith. If we find that we are fretting we are not trusting. If we find we are trying to
fix things ourselves without direction we are not committing. If we find we are worrying and in distress we are not
resting in His plan and waiting patiently for Him. Sometimes we just have to take our hands off the situation and
let God do His perfect work.
Another important aspect in living a life of faith and patience toward God is keeping an attitude of praise and
thankfulness, being grateful for the life He’s given us. His word says to enter His gates with thanksgiving in our
hearts and to enter His courts with praise for the Lord is good and His mercy is everlasting (Psalm
100:4-5). In your prayers thank Him for all He’s done for you and count your blessings. If you think
on the good things then the hard places in life will not become such a distraction. One can often be inspired and
encouraged just by a change in our focus and thought life. I have always found comfort in the words of
encouragement in the book of Psalms. This book is filled with the very emotions we feel today. When I need words of
inspiration, when I feel weary or troubled, I take time to sit with this book and just let it minister to me. In
studying the Psalms I have discovered it is actually a book of poetry. Perhaps this is why I love to write
spiritual poetry which in itself has brought healing to me.
So look back at where you came from and rejoice at where He has brought you thus far, and where He is taking you,
and praise Him because the Lord inhabits the praise of His people. 3 John 2 says Beloved,
I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. In distress and the
hard places of life it may be hard to praise Him. When we are discouraged, fearful or overwhelmed with confusion it
seems out of sorts to praise Him and thank Him for what He is doing in our lives and all the good we receive daily.
But my friend, God only wants the best for us. It takes faith to believe that, and it takes patience to put that
fact into practice, but we will not be ashamed if we place our trust in Him. We can have confidence in Him knowing
if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us and if He hears us we know we have our petitions we desired
of Him (1 John 5:14-15).
May these words of inspiration remind you that with all of these good and precious promises dear friend, hang on in
troubled times. Let the words of encouragement motivate you to stand firm in the midst of a storm. Remember,
delight, commit, trust, then rest and God will see you through.
The grace of our Lord be with you all.
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