Well hello friends,
This is Mark Ludman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks,
Welcoming you to Towards the Light,
An Advent Journey.
Today on day six,
We're going to be a bit of a conversation about patience,
Patience in faith.
Now that word patience stirs up all sorts of discomfort for us sometimes,
Doesn't it?
Patience is not easy,
Especially in a world that moves so quickly and as a result we expect to receive so quickly.
In that sort of world,
Waiting feels unnatural.
Advent calls us to a different rhythm,
A rhythm that trusts in the quiet,
Unseen work of God.
As an Augustine once said,
Patience is the companion of wisdom.
Now that's a profound truth.
Patience isn't about standing still,
It's about walking with God at God's pace,
Even when we'd rather run ahead.
Consider for a moment the psalmist's words in Psalm 130.
Here the psalmist famously wrote,
I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Now this isn't a passive waiting.
It's the kind of patience that watches the horizon with hope,
Scouring in the distance,
Keeping watch,
Knowing that morning will come even if the night feels endless.
James 5 reminds us to be like farmers,
Patiently waiting for the rain that will bring their crops to life.
James writes,
Be patient then,
Brothers and sisters,
Until the Lord's coming.
See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop,
Patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
You too be patient and stand firm,
Because the Lord's coming is near.
So the farmer prepares the soil,
Plants the seeds,
And then,
Well,
They place their trust in the process.
Their patience is an idol though,
It's active,
It's hopeful,
And filled with faith.
Today might be a good day to contemplate this question,
Where in your life are you being asked to wait?
Maybe it's a prayer that feels unanswered,
Or a dream that hasn't yet come to pass.
Advent invites us to trust that God is at work in those in-between spaces,
Even when we can't fully see the results.
So today,
May you find the courage to wait with hope,
Trusting in God's perfect timing.
May you embrace patience,
Not as an obstacle,
But as the gift that deepens your faith.
May you see the small signs of God's presence in the waiting,
Like those seeds beginning to sprout.
May your heart rest in the promise that what God has become,
God will bring to completion.
And may God's grace,
Peace,
And love be with you in that waiting,
And in your patience.
As we bring today's reflection to a close,
I invite you to go from here,
Taking a moment to reflect on where you need patience in your life.
Just reflect again on James 5,
Verse 7 and 8,
And Psalm 130,
Verse 5 and 6,
And allow those thoughts on patience and waiting shape your prayer today.
Trust that even in the waiting,
Friend,
God is near.
Until tomorrow,
Peace be with you.
