By Cordell Winrow
Most of us do not realize the power and reality that prayer affords us. As such, we do not place much value on the answered prayer, nor do we see when said prayers are actually answered. Still we unknowingly cry out to the Lord to hear our cry and respond. A prayer like “give me patience,” is the type of prayer that I have never seen go unanswered. However, in my life this has been one of the most dangerous and life changing things that I have ever prayed. Incidentally, it is one of the reasons that I have learned through first hand experience the grace of God, and the way that it actually leads you to a repentant lifestyle. Not only that, it is a journey that is more humbling than any that I can currently describe. Asking for patience never ends in a quick deposit, but rather a long tumultuous process of dealing with a type of manure being poured out and spread upon your life.
We do not pay attention to the implications of a prayer like this. Often we are not aware of how this simple utterance can shift the total landscape of our internal world and the way we interact with the world around us. Praying for patience will tend to see you learn about grace, contentment, mercy, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, kindness and self-control. These words may sound familiar, as several of them are described as the “Fruit of the Spirit.” Herein lies the crux of why this prayer will ALWAYS be answered. Asking the Lord to give you patience, is like asking Him to grow his character inside of you, which is ALWAYS on his heart and mind for us as His children. Scripture talks about us being conformed to the image and likeness of Christ. This is a prayer that invites the Holy Spirit to begin to do that work in great measures. You have basically said, “Holy Spirit you can begin the tearing down process, to get me ready to be built up in the way that you have designed me to be.”
All too often we are narrow mindedly focused on a one dimensional approach to our prayer life. We obsess over the destination or goal of what we are asking for, never considering the implications and processes we will go through. Our expectations for how things ought to play out, cloud our ability to really lock in to what the Holy Spirit is doing in us, around us, and through us. Why is it that we miss the answer? Mainly because we are too busy entertaining our own expectations of how we think he is going to show up. Rather than being flexible and attentive to His movement, we double down as if we were toddlers bent on getting our way, while threatening a temper tantrum provided things do not go as expected. This is quite possibly one of the biggest reasons we often feel as if our prayers tend to fall on deaf ears. Not because he has not chosen to answer, but because we are so insistent on our own will rather than His.
At times I wonder if we comprehend the true benefits of diving into prayer fearlessly, as led by the Holy Spirit. Have we chewed on the depths of the rewards that are awaiting us as we learn to traverse the space of praying dangerously with Jesus. While asking for patience can be a dangerous undertaking, for the bold, there is a reward that can be attained no other way. You see, a relationship with Jesus, learning to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, and encountering the love of the Father, are cultivated through the processes of developing patience. Let me be clear, most every dangerous prayer will encompass this prayer in some way, shape, or form. As patience is a fruit of the Spirit, it is necessary when it comes to the development, growth, and maturation of the character of one who is called by Jesus.
If I am honest, I can understand why so many, including myself, are so trigger shy when it comes to choosing to pray in this manner. Unfortunately, growing up I tended to be bold and ask for things like patience and encounters with the Lord. Thankfully, God is gracious and understood my heart and how to effectively grow me up all while answering my prayers in the most kind ways. See, when we pray boldly for things like patience, we are inviting him to rearrange everything we know about ourselves. We are giving him the invitation to make space within us in a way that not only expands our capacity, but also softens our hearts to those around us. I still find it surprising how often He waits for an invitation before showing up in the most unexpected of ways.
So you might ask how does this typically play out? Well, to be honest we have to pan out a bit. What is the expectation when we ask for patience? Is it fair to say that we are looking for said patience, whether makrothymia or hupomone, to be deposited in our lives much like when we deposit a check from work? We want it to be made available as quickly as a direct deposit of a paycheck. But, would we even know how to access the patience that we so hoped would be instantaneously given to us? I mean, the more I think about it, the more of an oxymoron it becomes. Patience is about being long tempered, having endurance, and standing your ground. How can it be accessed or activated without being put in a position for it to expand and come alive? The very idea of believing it to be something that could be given instantaneously means that we have a poor understanding of what it is that we are actively asking for. To better understand what it is that we are asking for, it would do us well to take a look at how long it takes an orange tree to grow from seed to fruit production. From seed to harvest it takes an orange tree 7 to 15 years to fully mature so that it can produce its fruit. This is where we can begin to understand where self-control also comes into play. As we endeavor to see patience grow in our lives, we will inevitably begin to see self-control, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and kindness make their appearance as well.
Suffice to say, the journey of understanding this particular prayer has left me with such a weight of conviction. It is the understanding that walking with the Lord is a process and that no matter what, patience is mandatory to be successful along the journey. There is a reason why this is probably the number one dangerous prayer that must every one that has a bit of experience with Jesus is aware of. Though many are jokingly saying this, I believe so many are aware of how intense the process can be, and are giving what they feel is heartfelt advice. “Count the cost before you pray, as this will change your life in ways you cannot even comprehend yet.”