This was going to be a blast! Yes! Yes! Yes! This was going to be the kind of weekend that makes life worth living, let me tell you! Especially for a group of young boys.
I and several other young boys from our Scout troop were packed into our folks old 1949 Chevrolet, along with all of the gear a young man might possibly need when going on a winter campout. My mother, who was driving us east of town to the nearby Scout camp, was driving a little too slow for us. She claimed it was because the highway was covered with hard-packed snow that was really slick. Yet, we could see no reason she could not have increased her speed a little more. There were hardly any other cars out on this winter night, anyway. We were liable to be the last car load of boys to reach camp, at this rate!
The night was a cold one in mid-January. We were watching through the car’s windshield as a large, round moon crept up over the mountains to the east in the direction we were traveling. That big moon was beginning to light up the snow-covered fields around us, almost as if it were in the daytime. I had to admit that it was nice to be in a warm car with a good heater. It looked really cold outside!
The further we traveled the more impatient we boys became. Several times my mother told us to keep the noise down a little bit, as we were distracting her from her driving. Each time we obeyed, becoming quiet—for a brief time—before the excitement of the adventure that awaited us got the best of us. Once again we would begin to talk excitedly about all the things we were soon going to be doing. We were going to be going hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, sliding around on the frozen surface of the nearby Palouse River, and probably even building an igloo or snow cave to climb into. Man-oh-man! Are we ever going to get there?
In the Old Testament Book of Numbers there is an account about the nation of Israel that includes these words: “Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses.” (Numbers 21:4-5)
There are numerous accounts throughout the Bible that involve people who are impatient. Not unlike the world we live in today, is it? We seem to get impatient so easily. We want things done quickly and in the least amount of time possible. Yet, I am reminded of Psalm 40:1, which says: “I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.”
That is a good verse for all of us to keep in mind.
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for the many occasions when I become so impatient with people I have contact with each day. It may be a clerk in a store or someone who has put me on “hold” that I have called on the phone. It may even be a family member who is not responding to me as quickly as I might have hoped. Lord, forgive me for those occasions when I have even become impatient with you. Remind me of verses like the one in Psalms. Help me be more patient with everyone, Lord, including you. Yes, help me Lord. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.
Pastor Bill
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
More often than not, the message in your posts is perfect for a current life event…and, the prayer is much needed. Thank you!!