James 1:3, 4 says, “Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience.” I would like to encourage you this week with turning your “patience into praise.” Oh how we could all need the Lord to help us with a little bit more patience. We need patience on the job, in the house, with our kids, husbands, friends and most of all with our desires.

I know you, along with myself, have been asking God to do this or that while going through this trial. And so much of you and me want God to do it right now — not tomorrow, not next week, right now. We could all use a breakthrough, deliverance, healing or miracle right now. But saints of God, while waiting upon the Lord to move mighty in your situation, He’s teaching you and me something about ourselves. We need patience more than we thought and if God were to give us things now we would not appreciate like we think. See God wants us not to take things for granted so He’s working on our patience.

It’s important that while we wait upon the Lord that we praise Him. If God was to give you and me the things we have been asking for now, we would more than likely not be ready for them. See God can look into our hearts and down the road at how we would at when He brings the breakthrough. God says, “I must take you through this so you will be grateful of that.” Oh my, that’s a good word there, saints of God. See God is taking you and me through things so we will be grateful. Having to go through these battles for the blessing, through these valleys for the victory, through these setbacks for a comeback — all of this is working out for you and in the meantime you are going to see how and why God didn’t let you have it then. It’s now we praise Him for He alone knows our ending.

Your patience is getting perfected through this storm and God sees your tears and will reward you. Church, we must thank Him for not giving up on us though you may be weak during this time. So let’s praise God for patience back in your house, or your job, back with your kids, back with your spouse. Saints of God, it could be worse than this but you and I have been told that this is a trying of our faith. So if that be the case, let’s be patient so it will turn into praise.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive us of our impatience with You and others. Help us, Lord, endure this knowing that our patience is being made whole. In Jesus’ name, Amen.