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PATIENCE

Biblical definition of Patience:
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Character Study:
Noah – Genesis 5:28-10:32; 1 Chronicles 1:3, 4; Isaiah 54:9; Ezekiel 14:14, 20; Matthew 24:37, 38; Luke 3:36; 17:26, 27; Hebrews 11:7; 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5
Noah is known as the first major shipbuilder and his for obedience. Genesis 6:22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Noah is known for his:
Patience:
In Genesis 6:9 – 7:24, God spoke to Noah saying that He was going to put an end to all people and destroy both them and the earth. God gives Noah specific instructions to build an ark for him and his family. He also had to take two of every kind of bird, every kind of animal and every kind of creature, male and female; these were to be kept alive. (Genesis 5:19, 20)
In Genesis 8:1-16 we read that God remembered Noah and the animals with him in the ark. God sent a wind to blow across the earth and the waters receded.
Three times Noah sent a bird – first a raven and then twice a dove – to test and see whether the earth was dry enough to get out of the ark. He waited for God. In vv15 and 16, God permits Noah to leave the ark with his family and to release all the animals; the birds, livestock and small animals that scurry along the ground.
Faith:
Hebrews 11:7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who had warned him about things that had never happened before. We don’t read that Noah doubted or asked questions about why he had to build an ark. By his faith, Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes with faith.
Obedience:
Genesis 6:22 and 7:5 both state that Noah did everything that God commanded.  It is interesting to see that not once did Noah question God. He did everything God told him to do; he did not just listen but obeyed.
Righteousness:
In Genesis 6:5 God saw how great the human race’s wickedness on the earth had become and the LORD was grieved that He had made them. Only Noah was righteous and blameless before God
2 Peter 2:5 accredits Noah as a preacher of righteousness.
Weakness:
Genesis 9:20-23 we read that Noah got drunk and embarrassed himself in front of his sons. This shows us that even godly people can sin.

What the Bible teaches us about patience:

Old Testament:
Genesis 12:7; 13:14-16; 15:4, 5 and 18; 17:16 In these verses we see God had promised Abraham on several occasions that his descendants will receive the land God was showing him. His wife Sarah would become the mother of many nations.
In Job 1:1-2:13  we read that Job was a wealthy man of upright character who loved God. When God allows Satan to destroy his flocks, his possessions, his children and his health, Job refuses to give up on God even though he did not understand why this was happening.
Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. This verse is self-explanatory. There are times when we wonder why God does not answer our prayers; when it is a case of “Easier said than done.” We can be assured God will answer our prayers in His time.
Psalm 40:1-3 tells us that at times, for us to do God’s will, we need to wait patiently. God hears our cries of despair, lifting us up out of the mud and mire, setting our feet on solid ground and giving us a new song to sing.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 The end of the matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better that pride. So many times we start a project without a vision. For us to finish our vision takes hard work, patience, wisdom and self-discipline.

New Testament:
Romans 12:9-21 Paul gives the Romans instructions on loving each other.
Ephesians 4:2 To the church in Ephesus he writes that they are to be humble, gentle, patient and loving towards one another. As Christians, it is our responsibility to love our fellow believers “warts and all.”
Titus 2:1-15 Right living in the church – The church is made up of people from all walks of life. In this passage, Paul counsels Titus on how to help the various groups of people i.e. older men must be sound in faith, in love and in patience; older women are to live in a way that honours God and also train the younger women to love their husbands and their children.
The passage of James 5:7-12 is about “Patience and Endurance.” 
In the same way, as a farmer waits patiently for his crops to grow, so it should also be with Christians – to live by faith looking toward the future reward for their labours.

Examples of impatience:
Numbers 20:1-13 – Moses Strikes the Rock
2 Kings 5:1-19 – Naaman healed of Leprosy
Jonah 4:1-11 – Jonah’s Anger at the LORD’S Compassion
Matthew 18:21-35 – The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
Luke 9:51-56 – Samaritan Opposition

Application:
It is said that: “Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.”  When we think of patience the word “waiting” comes to mind. We seem to be always “waiting.” Waiting for our spouse to change, waiting for the children to grow up, waiting in a queue at the supermarket or waiting for our prayers to be answered.
1) God says that waiting is good for us because it produces patience in us. In Galatians 5:22 the Apostle Paul lists patience as one of the fruits of the Spirit.
2) Apart from the fruit of the Spirit it says in Colossians 3:12 that as the elect of God, holy and beloved we need to clothe ourselves with amongst others, patience.
3) 1 Thessalonians 5:14 urges us to help the weak and to be patient with everyone.
4) We read in 1 Corinthians 13:4 that Love is patient. Take time to reflect on how many times God has told you to do something i.e. show love to someone unlovable and you did not do it. God’s patience towards us is greater than our patience towards our spouse, children or maybe someone at work, school or church!
5) Patience is required when we pray for loved ones to be saved or for them not to just know about Jesus but to also have a personal relationship with Him.

Conclusion:
Psalm 27:13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. v14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Responding in Prayer
Read Psalm 40:1-17 – Learning to wait on the LORD
Pray for your loved ones that do not have a personal relationship with the Lord. Ask in the name of Jesus that the Holy Spirit will give them a yearning in their hearts to come in faith to God for salvation. Praise and thank the Lord that you can bring them to Him. Daily thank the Lord for His Amazing Grace that saved you out of “a pit of despair” so that you can do as it says in Psalm 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

(All Scriptures are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise stipulated)

Journal – Scripture/Prayer/Thoughts:

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PRAISE

The biblical definition of Praise:
Psalm 150:1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. v2 Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. v3 Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, v4 praise Him with timbrel and dancing, praise Him with the strings and pipe, v5  praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. v6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

Character Study;
Mary – Mother of Jesus: Luke 1:26-56. Her story is told throughout the Gospels and she is also mentioned in Acts 1:14

Mary, a virgin, lived in Nazareth, a village in Galilee. She was engaged to Joseph, a descendant of King David. After being told by the angel Gabriel that she would conceive and give birth to a son, whom she is to call Jesus, she responded that she was the Lord’s servant. Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
A few days later she goes and visits Elizabeth who says to her: v45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil His promises to her!  Mary responds with “Mary’s Song of Praise” also called “The Magnificat” Luke 1:46-55
Mary was the mother of Jesus and the only human being who was with Him from birth to death.

Mary is known for her:
Humility
Luke 1:26-38  She did not argue with the angel, Gabriel, but accepted what he told her.
Faith
She did not doubt that what the angel had said would happen.
John 2:1-12 At Jesus’ first miracle – turning water into wine, she showed faith that He could do it.
Knowing the Scriptures
Luke 1:46-55 Mary’s Song of Praise is a song of joy and shows us how well she knew God. The song is filled with allusions to the Old Testament, which includes the Law, the Psalms and the Prophets.
Being a Good Mother
Luke 2:21-24 When Jesus was 8 days old; she took Him to the Temple to be dedicated.
Luke 2:42-51 She was concerned when at the age of 12 she could not find Jesus on their way back from Jerusalem. They went back to Jerusalem and found Him 3 days later in the Temple.
John 19:25 She was there when Jesus was crucified.
Acts 1:14 The last time we read about Mary.

What the Bible teaches about praise.
Old Testament:
After the people of Israel had escaped through the Red Sea and had seen the mighty power that the LORD had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before Him.
In Exodus 15:1-21 Moses and the Israelites sang a song of praise and deliverance to the LORD for leading them out of Egypt.
In v20-21 Miriam and the women joined him with tambourines and dancing.
In both 2 Samuel 22:1-51 and Psalm 18:1-50, David sang a song of praise to the LORD when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and the hand of Saul.
1 Chronicles 16:7-36 After the Ark of the Covenant was brought back to Jerusalem, David wrote a song of praise.
2 Chronicles 5:1-14 We read the account of King Solomon dedicating the Temple and bringing the Ark back to the Temple.
2 Chronicles 6:1-11 Solomon praises the LORD.
Psalm 117 This Psalm is the shortest chapter in the Bible. It shows that God loves “all the people of the world.”
We can praise God for His unlimited love and faithfulness toward us.
In Daniel 2:1-21 we read about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. When the king’s astrologers, magicians or enchanters were unable to reveal the meaning of the dream, Daniel went to see the king requesting more time to tell the king what the dream meant. On his way home he asks his friends to ask God to show them mercy by telling them the secret of the dream. That night the secret of the dream was revealed to Daniel in a vision. In v20 He praises the name of God.
In Daniel 4:34 even Nebuchadnezzar “praised and worshipped the Most High.”

New Testament:
Matthew 5:13-16 From the “Sermon on the Mount/Beatitudes.”  Jesus teaches about salt and light. We are to let our light shine so that people may see our good deeds and therefore praise our heavenly Father.
In Luke 2:8-20 we read that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, shepherds watched over their flocks at night. When an angel appeared to them giving them the good news of Jesus’ birth, a great company of heavenly hosts appeared with the angel praising God. The shepherds hurried to go and see the baby and after seeing Him they left, spreading the word about the birth of Jesus. They returned to the fields, glorifying and praising God.
In Acts 2:1-47 on the day of Pentecost, after Peter had addressed the crowd, some believed his message and they were baptized.  About three thousand were added to their number that day. They met daily, breaking bread, praising God and enjoying the favour of the people.
Romans 15:1-13 In this passage Paul writes why the Messiah came; Jesus came to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises He made to their ancestors. In v9 he quotes from 2 Samuel 22:50 and Psalm 18:49 saying that Jesus also came so that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy and sing praises to Him.
Ephesians 1:3-14 is about “Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ” v14b “To the praise of His glory.

Application:
The Book of Psalms can be used not only for prayer but also for praise. David and the other writers of psalms all expressed their fears and doubts; confessed their sins; asked God for help and would then praise and worship Him.
Psalm 35:1-28 says that when we praise the LORD we take the focus from ourselves and instead put it on, God. It brings us back to where we acknowledge that God is in control, not us because as our Creator and King, He is above all.
Psalm 103:1-22 gives us a list for which we can praise the LORD. Forgiveness of sins; healing our diseases; redeems our life; crowns us with love and compassion; satisfies our desires; gives us righteousness and justice. At those times when it feels like: “life is getting you down” read Psalm 103 and praise the LORD!

David introduced music into the Tabernacle and Temple services. As we can see from our Biblical definition of Psalm 150 the music must have been loud and joyous as evidenced by the list of instruments, and the presence of the choirs and song leaders.

When we feel that we are in a pit of despair and there is evil all around us, the best “medicine” is to praise the Lord. We learn this from Paul and Silas while they were in jail. Acts 16:16-40

Hebrews 13:1-16 There are times that our prayers are nothing but complaints about our circumstances or situations. We forget that God knows our hearts and He cares about our concerns. When we praise Him we focus on what He has done for us!

Conclusion:
Psalm 113:1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD you His servants; praise the name of the LORD. v2 Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore.

Responding in Prayer:
Read Psalm 148:1-14 – Let all creation praise and worship the Lord.
In our prayers, we can respond by praising God for His holiness, mercy and justice; for His grace, goodness, kindness and salvation. Praise and worship usually go hand in hand. When there is praise on our lips, it usually overflows, so that we automatically worship the Lord in song.

Journal – Scripture/Prayers/Thoughts: