“Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle” (Psalms 144:1 NKJV)
Is it just me? Or have any of you notice this as well? The moment you begin to pray for something like faith — or patience — or any of the other fruits of the Spirit, bad things start to happen!
The day I pray for patience is the day that I need boatloads of it. Take last Monday as a trite example. The house was a mess but the vacuum refused to work. It was hot and I couldn’t seem to cool down. The old, broken vacuum I found in the closet wouldn’t pick up the dog hair. The cat box needed to be cleaned and her food and water dispensers were both empty. The one I provide care for was restless. The phone rang a few times, but due to networking difficulties, no one could hear my voice, and I found myself walking down the street in order to talk on the phone. Then someone in need texted me with a problem that was impossible to resolve from afar. I tried to help, but all in vain.
I could go on, but suffice is to say, I prayed for patience and suddenly there was great need for it!
Why would God respond to a request for more patience with more situations where we need them?
The answer is in Ps. 144. God doesn’t just “give” us patience … or faith … or any of these fruit of the Spirit! Rather, He “…trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle…” (Vs. 1b NKJV)! He allows circumstances in order for us to exercise our spiritual muscles for the combat!
You’ve all heard the old adage, “Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime.” God isn’t giving us this fruit of His Spirit so that we can survive the day, rather He is teaching us so that we might have them for a lifetime!
In case you think this may sound a bit cruel, consider verse 2 of the same Psalm: “Blessed be the Lord my Rock…My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.” (Ps. 144:1a-2 NKJV).
While God is giving teaching us, He is right there with us, being our Rock, our Lovingkindness, our Fortress, our Tower, our Deliverer!
If we think of these from the point of view of teaching a man to fish, what this means is that God doesn’t just hand out the fishing line and hook and leave. Rather, He leads us to the best fishing spots and helps us learn the best fishing techniques. He takes our hands and puts them on the fishing rod in the right spots. He helps us throw the line and the hook into the water. He helps us reel in our fish!
Yes, the day that all of those things happened to me, God was with me, and I could feel His peace and His patient kindness. I heard Him reminding me about the old vacuum in the closet, and I felt His voice telling me it wasn’t the end of the world if there was a bit of dog hair left on the carpet. I heard Him reminding me that He would supply the time to clean the cat box and fill her food and water containers. And He did something else. In the midst of all this, He sent me a text via my son, who was in China at the time. After “venting” a bit about my frustrations, he began to pray. After this, my friend’s problem just … vanished … and the one I care-give for stopped pacing the floor and settled down!
God was certainly my Rock, my Deliverer, my Strong tower, leaving me humbled and very, very loved. The next verse of Ps. 144 sums up my feelings very well: “Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? Man is like a breath; His days are like a passing shadow.” (Vs. 3-4 NKJV). Remember, God doesn’t need to help us learn patience and faith and kindness and gentleness! He does this because He loves us! Oh God, who am I that you look after me so well?
Have you prayed to bear more fruit, and then find yourself hit up with trial after trial?
Remember to praise God as you ask Him for help, then sit back and watch as He delivers you: “I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You…Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood…” (Ps. 144:9-11 NKJV) And in the meantime, He will be teaching you the valuable skills you need to fight future battles with Him at your side!
Don’t be afraid to ask God for these fruit; just be aware that God teaches us rather than just giving things to us. However, His hand will never leave you, He will deliver you, and in the end, you will be well on your way to having these fruit of God’s Spirit come more naturally in your life!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries