seeking patience and perseverance in the weariness of waiting
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To begin, find a space where you can be still and focus.
Then, follow the prompts below. When you reflect on scripture, feel free to look up a passage of your own or use the verses provided for you. Personalize as you will.
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Thanksgiving: Offer thanks to God. What has He provided for you today? Thank Him for the gift of time and for allowing you to live through these unique days.
Praise: Father, you are faithful and good! You are the Everlasting God. You are slow to anger, patient, and compassionate. You are not hindered by human ways or constrained by time. You are the author and creator of time, and I praise you that my times are in your hands.
Reflect on Scripture: Psalm 37:7-9 (NIV); James 5:7-11 (NIV)
7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
The Lord’s Prayer: Walk through the prompts below, offering God your responses.
Help me submit to you, Father. I pray your will be done in my life and on earth as it is in heaven.
Lord, thank you for blessing those who persevere. Thank you for your compassion and mercy as we wait.
I confess I am weary in the waiting. I’m tired of the world being this way. Keep me from turning to sinful anger or fearful fretfulness. Forgive my grumbling and complaining. Help me run this race with joy in you, my redeemer. Thank you for your mercy and strength in my weakness.
As I seek to escape this unpleasant situation, help me remember that there is no true pleasantness in the world apart from you. May I find all contentment in you. When I feel impatient, Lord, help me rest and focus on Jesus, the deliverer of us all. Save us as we wait and grow in hope.
Help me be still and wait patiently and eagerly for the right thing—for you.
Father, the world and my life is turned upside down. Help me have godly patience and perseverance with these people/circumstances: _____________________________.
Thank you for growing the fruit of patience in me, even in the midst of suffering, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Today, I have need. Please provide: _____________________________. Thank you for being a good Father who cares for his children and provides all they need.
I confess I am a sinner. Please forgive me for my sin of: _____________________________.
Please help me forgive those who have sinned against me. Lord, because you have forgiven me, help me forgive: _____________________________ for _____________________________. Thank you for forgiving my sins and empowering me to forgive others as you have forgiven me.
Thank you for delivering me from evil. Today, I ask you to deliver me from _____________________________ for you are _____________________________.
May you be glorified in my life today and forevermore.
Thank you, Father, for your patience with me. Help me to be patient with myself and others in this time. Help me endure this season with joy. Thank you for the hope we have in you.
Rather than waiting for comforts to return, help me wait eagerly for my eternal home and watch vigilantly for you.
Neighbor Prayer: Spend a moment praying on behalf of any neighbors God lays on your heart.
Suggested Neighbor Prayer for: church leaders and congregants in your neighborhood/city
Lord, I pray for church leaders today. Give them wisdom to make godly decisions in an unusual time. Bless them with peace.
Thank you that Christ is the head of the church. Help church leaders surrender their plans to walk in perfect obedience to You as You lead with compassion and clarity.
Help leaders see these challenges as opportunities and not as obstacles. Help them be servants to all. Help them identify and meet the needs of the flock even in these unusual times.
Lord, I pray the body of Christ would encourage and equip struggling church bodies, and that churches would not be selfish or competitive, but generous, honoring others.
Thank you that we are one Body. Unify us by the power of the Holy Spirit. May ungodly divisions fall away. May competition between believers vanish. May the Church remain a beacon of light to a lost and dying world.
Help us pray faithfully. May the Church grow less selfish and more mature, less worldly and more eternally-minded.
Prune our churches of anything that does not bear fruit. Help us bear witness to the power of simple faith in Jesus Christ and love others in such a way that they cannot ignore the free salvation of Christ.
Say a special prayer for those who are curious about Jesus and His church in this time, that Jesus would reveal Himself to them and save them. The harvest is plentiful.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
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If you would like to worship in song as you finish your prayer time,
here is the audio of I Know Who Holds Tomorrow sung by Alison Krauss.
A Picture of What 
Much needed across the land! Patience,
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