203. How To Not Become Impatient
Our first “10 Days Early Morning Prayer” is going well. A total of 15 people have signed up, five groups of 3 people are praying for each other and learning how to pray in a balanced way. I half-jokingly shared to pastors that I initially feared having “a group” prayer with two other people. God exceeded my expectation again.
I thought about the real benefit of starting the day with prayer, as I was praying for the participants. Because waking up early is not easy. In fact, after early morning prayer, even I feel tired. Also, many of the participants have a job and a busy schedule. We have two youth participants who have a full school schedule ahead. And, Prayer feels like labour many times. But I came to the conclusion that it prevents us from becoming impatient.
People make foolish decisions mainly because they became impatient. Quick success, quick money, quick sale, quick growth, and the list goes on. People get angry quickly when they are in a rush. Research showed that seminary students who were told they are late to a class were far less likely to help a man in visible pain than those who were told they had enough time. Impatience impacts our capacity to be mindful of others. When we are in a rush, the first thing that gets sacrificed is prayer time because it feels like the least productive activity.
However, when we commit to Prayer, God helps us become relaxed, just as he is. God is very relaxed. When God promised a son to Abraham, it took nearly 100 years. When Moses fled from Egypt, God waited 40 years to train Moses until he delivered suffering Israelites. David was anointed as king at an early age, but he didn’t sit on the throne for nearly 15 years.
When I first started church ministry, I wanted to grow things fast. And I believed it could. So I grew impatient, and I found myself forcing many things. But as I got into a more regular, steady prayer time, many of my anxious thoughts and impatient heart were settled and calmed. It is hard to explain, but prayer sets the direction clear and firm but allows you to be in sync with God’s timing, which is never too early nor late.
