Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and
wait for the LORD." (Psalm 27:14 NIV)

Waiting. It's one of the most difficult things
to do. For those of us with a chronic illness,
time seems to be not only relative but malicious
as well. Compare how quickly your body will hurt
from a wrong activity and how slowly it takes for
the pain medication to bring relief. Patience?
Isn't that the name of some town in Nevada?

In reality, patience is not only a fruit of the
Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22 NIV), but as such, it
is something to be desired (Romans 8:5 NIV). The Bible
tells many accounts of God's people running out of
patience. Stories like Abraham trying to hurry
along God's promise and produce a heir through Hagar.
(Genesis 16:1-2 NIV) Or how about Peter? When he saw his
LORD Jesus being manhandled in the Garden of
Gethsemane, he reached for (and used) his sword - and
Jesus rebuked him for doing so. (John 18:10 NIV)

Isn't that just like us? We get tired of waiting. We
assume that we know best. Or worse, we think that our
plans must be the way God will work in our situation.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. He may or He may not. He is,
after all, the One in control and He knows what is
best.

God's word says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD
(Isaiah 55:8 NIV) Along with patience, maybe what is
needed is trust.

So the next time you feel in need of little patience,
remember Who is in control. Remember, Beloved, that Jesus
loves you more than anyone ever could and even though
you may have to wait now, His timing is perfect. There
is a reward in trust. You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the LORD the LORD, is
the Rock eternal." (Isaiah. 26:3-4 NIV)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Christy Brewster lives on the Oregon
Coast with her husband, Dan. They have two adult children
and a huge male cat named Ms. Kitty. Christy lives with
MS and Diabetes.

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TODAY'S TIDBIT:
Do you like to give your opinion? Sign up for Team
HopeKeepers at http://www.hopekeepersmagazine.com
to be a part of our feedback/survey team!

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TODAY'S TALKBACK:
PLEASE ANSWER!
"If I was to encourage someone who had just been diagnosed
with a chronic illness my best advice would be: __________."
Send your response to: rest@...
or just hit 'reply.' Please include your name, illness,
& city/state.

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TODAY'S EVENT:
HOPEKEEPERS Online Group Meets Today
We are currently going through a
compilation of Max Lucado devotionals
For more information on joining see:
http://www.restministries.org/pro-hkonline.htm

TIME: 1 p.m. Pacific, USA
PLACE: http://www.restministries.org/pro-chat.htm