A little bit of patience can go a long way when times are tough

I can’t wait to be able to do that.

I am sure that there is a list of things you can’t wait to do.

I was in a zoom room with one of our church fellowship groups and one of my friends said he couldn’t wait to give us all a big hug and have a barbecue together.

As we see other parts of the world coming out of lockdown, we could get impatient.

I guess the rallying call for all of us it to be patient so that we don’t spoil the hard work we have achieved to minimise the threat of Covid-19.

Patience is the hardest when we need it the most, but it is key to achieve our goals.

In the Christian calendar, there is a strong theme of waiting.

On Thursday, we remembered that the risen Jesus ascended to Heaven.

He told his disciples that they would be his witnesses from now on. (Luke 24vs 48-49).

If I had been one of those disciples at that remarkable moment, I would be rolling up my sleeves and making a plan to get on with.

However, Jesus told them to stay in the city and wait until they had been given the power to do it.

More waiting!

But significant waiting because Jesus was promising that they would be given a heavenly power to deal with whatever life will throw at them.

This is the Holy Spirt, who is God’s invisible presence available to all who invite him.

Waiting is a spiritual discipline, that can help us to know that when we go through trying times, we can seek a strength beyond ourselves to overcome.

“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry… he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.” Psalm 40vs1-3.

The Reverend Jonathan Haigh is minister of Greenhill Methodist Church, School Lane, Greenhill, and Victoria Hall Methodist Church, Norfolk Street, Sheffield city centre.