PATIENCE THROUGH PRAYER
“How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save?” (Habakkuk 1:1-2)
My heart, and I’m sure yours too, is grieving over the recent tragic events across our nation. We are in more than a storm, but a hurricane! A trifecta from the last 100 years has hit us all at once: the “century” flu from 1917, the economic crash from the great depression, and the racial division, riots, and violence from the ‘60s! I know the Lord won’t give us any more than we can bear. We must come to the end of ourselves and turn back to Him. We must persevere in prayer.
I’ve heard it said that there are five “P”s in prayer: Presence, Power, Provision, Protection, and Peace. I’ve thought of another “P,” patience. As these long days of enduring the effects of the Coronavirus, economic collapse, and racial protests, how’s your patience? Are we praying patiently? Being patient is defined as one who is long-suffering, tolerant, understanding, persevering, constant. Are you waiting, or patiently anticipating, for this crazy time in history to be over? Waiting can be more difficult than doing anything… it takes faith and patience. Psalm 130:5 says, “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His Word, I put my hope."
We are waiting! Waiting for the virus to be over, waiting for a vaccine for it, and waiting for our nation to “open” again. We are waiting for racial tensions to ease and for peace and justice between cultures and ethnicities. Meanwhile, as Psalm 130:5 says, we remember He is our only hope.
Let’s remember God’s waiting too! He’s waiting for each one to turn to Him and know Him as their Savior. So, while He waits—and we wait—we must take our eyes off ourselves, our impatience, and wanting our problems solved now. Let's turn our eyes to Jesus. To look for what God wants to teach us. He is patiently waiting for us! I’m convicted by how many times I keep Him waiting as I’m busy with worldly concerns instead of seeking Him. He’s patiently waiting and wanting no one to perish. Psalm 103:8 says, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love."
You may be waiting for a family member or friend to come to know Jesus. As we wait, let’s turn to the Bible and be assured our faith will be rewarded:
Isaiah 30:18 “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
1 Timothy 1:15-17 “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
So we pray with perseverance for God’s presence, His Holy Spirit's power, His provision, His protection, and His peace, with patience and in passion! Passion in thanksgiving for redeeming us and saving us from our sins. Our Palau team is passionate about preaching this to the nations. Thank you for joining me and continuing to do so in persevering, patient, and passionate prayer for Luis, Andrew, Kevin, and the entire staff as they proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to our hurting world.
We praise God for the recent virtual festival that went viral earlier this month, with over 5.5 million views and 15,000 decisions for Christ! It’s not too late to continue to share the Good News through sharing hopewithgod.com or hope.palau.org!
Please open the reports below and pray for God’s patience and LPA’s ongoing passion for the lost.
In Patient and Passionate Prayer,
Gail Stockamp
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
PRAYER REPORTS
Please enjoy opening the regional updates below and keeping them in your prayers:
Africa | Festival update and elections in Malawi June 23 | Report
Asia | Evangelism opportunities in spite of restrictions | Report
North America | Wisdom for future festival, update on Space Coast CityFest | Report
Europe | Excitement and energy for future festival opportunities | Report
Latin America | Event strategies for Guatemala, Buenos Aires and beyond | Report
The Caribbean | Luis Palau Radio ministry goes out daily | Report