Developing Patience In Ministry   by Dr. Henry Johnson

I am not a patient person. Waiting on God or anyone else is hard for me. It's easy to think that God has forgotten you when you are expecting Him to do something or you are hoping for a certain outcome. If you are waiting for your blessing, I encourage you to hold on and don’t give up. I have been blessed in that God took the time out to teach me how to wait. I still have some difficult days because I am in a hurry, but I have learned even on those days that God is still in control.

“Wait” is a very interesting word.

Webster's Dictionary defines it as “to stay in place in expectation of; to delay in hope of a favorable change in; to look forward expectantly”. I have been told by friends, fellow preachers, and many pastors that if I wait I will soon be called to the church God has for me. I realize they are giving me loving advice because they see my gifts and know my calling but to wait on God or anyone else is hard for me. I am not a patient person. I have been in God’s classroom now for a year. I served my home church faithfully for three and a half years as interim pastor. My call became crystal clear during that time. I have visited four churches as a candidate for the pastorate but nothing as come to me. I have discovered that God has a sense of humor but He has a plan. I think He has a sense of humor because each time I have interviewed with a church many people have come to me with positive comments and have even expressed their desire for me to become their pastor. God’s sense of humor comes in because He is enjoying the process because He already knows the outcome. He has been teaching me the most valuable lesson I could learn and that is to wait on Him. What an interesting thought! God has ministered to me over this last year and I want to help someone through this essay.

The starting point for me was with one of my favorite portions of scripture. God used Isaiah 40:28-31 as my starting point for my crash course on waiting. It says, “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isa 40:28 31 (KJV)

The first thing I needed to learn was that God is in control. He has existed from everlasting to everlasting. God has all knowledge and all power. There is no searching for His understanding. It is God who gives strength. I am sure many will think that I should have known all of this, and I did, but when you are waiting you tend to focus on what you want and not what you know. The strongest point in my first course was the importance of my realizing that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. I have gotten weary over this last year because I am used to being busy for the Lord. I am preaching or teaching somewhere but this last year has not been a busy time.

I don’t preach or teach much at my home church. I have preached other places and even done some teaching but certainly not at the rate I am used to so I had become weary because I wanted to use my gifts. I must tell you that I am one of those preachers who loves the Word of God and preaching is better than anything I can think of....yes I mean anything!

God shook me and told me not to be weary because He is going to renew my strength, take me to a new place in Him, and keep me from getting weary again. I am thinking okay but I was doubting. God knew I was doubting Him so He took me to three witnesses in scripture (isn’t God awesome?).

The first witness is found in Mark 5:25-34

It says, “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched His garment. For she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that virtue had gone out of Him, turned Him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And His disciples said unto Him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And He looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him all the truth. And He said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” (KJV)

For twelve years this woman had waited for a cure! She had gone from doctor to doctor. The woman had spent all that she had trying to fine the cure. During this time, she could go to worship because she was unclean. If she was married, she could lay with her husband because she was unclean. This woman couldn’t visit her friends or family because she was unclean. She had to wait twelve long years for her cure. God pointed out that her cure was not supposed to be available for twelve years. She had to encounter the right person at the right time. The woman had to learn that her efforts and human efforts would fail but they that wait upon the Lord will be renewed. When she touched Jesus’ clothes she was renewed because her time of waiting had come to an end, because Jesus was the right person and it was the right time. The woman was not only cured but Jesus blessed her by telling her to go in peace. The peace that Jesus give is a peace that passes all understanding but it is a peace that no one can take away. God let me know that a year isn’t much time to wait for a blessing.

The next witness is found in this same portion of scripture. This is the experience of Jairus that begins Mark 5:22 23. It says, “And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when He saw Him, He fell at His feet, And besought Him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.” (KJV) This man made His way to Jesus for help. We don’t know how He knew about Jesus but He came knowing that if Jesus would just come with Him that His daughter would live and not die. The problem comes because Jesus takes time to deal with the woman with the issue of blood. The man had to wait for Jesus to deal with her. While He was waiting, a message comes from His home. The message was “Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?” (Mark 5:35 KJV)

While he was waiting for Jesus to deal with this woman, his daughter died. God let me know that waiting helps build faith. Jairus has every reason to be weary and to tell Jesus forget it. He might have even been thinking if we hadn’t had to wait to deal with this woman we would have gotten to my house in time to save my daughter. Praise God, the story doesn’t end with the daughter’s death.

Let’s read on in Mark 5. It says, “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And He suffered no man to follow Him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And He cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when He was come in, He saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn. But when He had put them all out, He taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with Him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And He took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And He charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.” (Mark 5:36 43 KJV)

Jesus let Jairus know that he must believe, in other words have faith. As they made their way to Jairus’ house, he had to maintain his faith in Jesus. It was his faith that bought him to Jesus in the first place. It must have been a struggle once he got to the house and people were crying. Jairus had to keep the faith. They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. Jesus spoke to the young girl and she got up. God told me, preacher, you have to remember it ain’t over until I say its over.

I have to learn to keep the faith and not waver. It is easy to think that God has forgotten you when you are expecting Him to do something or you are hoping for a certain outcome. He took me on a quick side tract visit to Hebrews 11:1 which says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (KJV) God wanted me to clearly understand that faith is working in an area of my life. I know what I want but I have see it come to pass. I want to pastor since it is my calling but I don’t know where I will pastor. God is saying I need to exercise my faith because they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. My renewing is going to be pastoring and that is where He will strengthen me, but I must wait and while waiting I must have faith.

The final witness is also found in Mark

In Mark 9, Jesus and three disciples had been on the mountain top. Jesus was ministered to by Elijah and Moses. After this they came down to be greeted by people arguing. They were arguing because a man had bought his son to Jesus to have Him cast out a demon. Jesus was on the mountain so the disciples tried to cast the demon out but couldn’t. Jesus tells them to bring the boy to Him. As soon as the demon in the boy saw Jesus, He made the boy fall to the ground. Jesus asked the father how long has he been this way. The father said since he was very young. You see this father had to wait for someone to come along who could help His son. His son had been controlled by this demon and Mark 9:22 24 the demon often made Him fall into the fire or into water trying kill Him. This father in Mark 9:22 cries out to Jesus saying, “Oh, have mercy on us and do something if you can.” The man seems to be wavering in His faith after all the disciples had failed to cast out the demon. Jesus addresses the man’s faith in verse 23. It says “If I can?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if you have faith.” Jesus knows He has faith but He wants this man to know that anything is possible if He will have faith. Listen to the response of this father in verse 24...”I do have faith; oh, help me to have more!” (TLB)

This father who has waited to see his son healed knows that his faith isn’t what it should be so he asks for more faith. The result is that Jesus cast out the demon of deafness and dumbness and the boy was healed. After this third witness, God took me to Hebrews 11:6. It says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (KJV) God simply wanted me to know that I must have faith. He let me know that He knows what I want and He will reward me in due time but I can’t give up. I must continue to seek Him.

I have been blessed in that God took the time out to teach me how to wait. I still have some difficult days because I am in a hurry, but I have learned even on those days that God is still in control. I am sharing my experience to encourage someone. If you are waiting for your blessing, I encourage you to hold on and don’t give up. If you are waiting for your healing, I want to encourage you to hold on because it is on the way. If you are waiting for God to give you the place to carry out your gifts, I say hold on because God is not a man that He would lie. If He said it ,you can count on it coming to pass. Remember, they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Just Keeping It Real!

Reverend Dr. Henry Johnson
29 August 2005
doctorj@praisenet.org
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