The Patience of Faith

Hebrews 6:1-12
Patience is not always something I do well. I find it irritating when I have to wait, especially when I have no control over a situation. Slow moving traffic and long checkout lines are among the things I dislike the most. As much as I hate to admit it, waiting for God is also on that list. Here, too, I can get impatient to the point of exasperation. At various points in my career I’ve felt that God was not responding to me quickly enough, not giving me a sense of call or direction at the speed with which I wanted it and I became very agitated. (Ironically, I’ve even gotten impatient with God today as I wrestled with this blog post and found the writing to be slow going.) Maybe all of this is why the reading from Hebrews today struck a nerve with me.

“And we want each one of you to show the same diligence,” we read, “so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end, so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:11-12). The writer of Hebrews presents us with a dichotomy between spiritual inactivity on the one hand, and diligence, faithfulness, and patience on the other. Put another way, those who, in the words of Isaiah 40, “wait for the Lord” will be sustained in their effort while those who do not are apt to fall away. As is so often the case in scripture, patience is shown to require effort because it is hard work which deserves our full attention.

When I become impatient with what God is doing, I risk turning away from the divine will for my life. I might take matters into my own hands, which is bad enough, but I also might fall into lazy spiritual practices. That doesn’t mean I’m not doing anything. I might be busy with all sorts of activities, but it is what I do to further my spiritual life that determines whether or not I am “sluggish” in the way that the writer of Hebrews uses the term. How do we avoid the trap of impatience with God? According to Hebrews, we work at it “diligently” which I believe could include fervent prayer, acts of generosity and compassion, the study of scripture, regular attendance in worship, participation in the community of faith, and the willingness to share the good news of the gospel just to name a few. This is what it means to actively wait. This is also how our spiritual patience is deepened and any tendency to become sluggish is turned back.

Yes, I get fed up by waiting. Yes, I want things to move more quickly. Yes, I would appreciate it if God moved with a little more urgency as well. But if I am to serve God faithfully I need to live with patience so as not to become sluggish.

Prayer: Almighty God, give us the strength to stand firm in the faith and to await your will to be done. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Drop Anchor

Hebrews 6:13-20

Years ago my wife and I served for a year on the staff of a Church of Scotland congregation in East Kilbride, Scotland. It was as formative a year as I can imagine. One of the smaller blessings I received that year was an introduction to the hymn “Will Your Anchor Hold?” Though familiar to many, it was one that I had not been exposed to at that point.

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,

When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?

When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,

Will your anchor drift or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul

Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,

Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love.

I can only assume that this hymn is based in part on our reading from Hebrews for today. “We have this hope,” it says, “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul…” (Hebrews 6:19).

I don’t know much about seafaring, but I do know how vital an anchor can be, especially in stormy, turbulent waters. And the analogy to life is simple. Day to day we encounter storms and turbulence as well. Where we choose to make our stand can make the difference in whether we survive or find ourselves wrecked. The writer of Hebrews points to a hope that is trustworthy in such circumstances, a way to ride out the rough times. The hope is set on the promises of God which cannot prove false and which allow us to wait patiently for the day of fulfillment. We have this anchor available to us, this source of patience. It is our faith and hope in God who can not prove false and who wishes us to live as called people.

Prayer: God, when our hope is set on you we do not flounder. Help us to remain anchored to you and your will, that in even the roughest of life’s passages we may remain true in our convictions. In Jesus’ name. Amen.