My dearest sister,
I am well aware of your love for Christ and for your desire to serve Him wholeheartedly. The love for His saints and the passion for His word are abundant and overflowing from your heart. I am writing to encourage you in your waiting upon the Lord as you seek to know His will in the matter of your service to Him.
Our Father in heaven has given us a glimpse of His heart when He has said in His word that “the testing of your (our) faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work (full effect), that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:3)
So often sister you and I have spoken of how we longed for that patient spirit that waits with the comfort of our hope which is in Christ. We have spoken of how easy it seems for us to hope in Christ for our eternity yet to lose sight of that hope in the muddles and puddles of our daily life. We become impatient. God sees and knows our hearts (way better than we do) and He longs to change them; testing the genuineness of our faith is one of those ways. He promises us there will be growth and the fruit will be patience. The exciting thing is that it is like multiplication! When patience is born within our hearts it begins it’s perfect work (maturity) and multiplies bringing forth completeness. This completeness or as the ESV calls it “lacking in nothing” suggests to me that our hearts become full. Much like our stomachs do when we have eaten a seven course meal. We become full to the point of declaring “I couldn’t eat one more bite!”
Something I know is that God’s purpose for redeeming those who are His is to change (transform) them into the image of His Son, our precious Savior. (Romans 8:29)) That Truth coupled with knowing that God is patient (Jeremiah 15:15, Romans 15:5) His Son is patient (II Thessalonians 3:5) and His Spirit is patient, leads me to believe that even if I cannot muster patience from my soul, I can call out to Him who is the giver of all good gifts( James 1:17) and humbly beseech Him to grant me a portion of His patience. Our King is a good King who longs to hear His children and to give them their heart’s desire when that desire is in accordance with His will. Serving the Most High King is His will (being a compassionate helper, a keeper of the home, raising godly children, teaching younger women to love their husbands……and more) as you move to be a doer of His word in those muddles and puddles of your life, He will prepare you (grow you, complete you) to serve Him in the fashion that He deems best.
So, I will close my letter to you my dear sister with this: I am praying for your heart to desire what God desires, to be a doer of His Holy Word which will prepare you for whatever and whenever He calls you out in service to Him even if it stops at the muddles and puddles of life, and that He will find you faithful (full and complete) because your patience has had its perfect work.
Much Love and Admiration,
Susan