Dear Brothers and Sisters:
We must be prepared to endure that which is coming.
By your endurance you will gain your lives. Luke 21:19
Once released from the tyranny of our affection for the knowledge of good and evil, a new tolerance to wait on God will grip us. Patient endurance is the confidence to wait for Him to speak and to move or not to move no matter what fearful, doubt-filled voices are speaking. As we grow in the confidence that the Tree of Life is our only source of direction, the fear that drives us to move or to follow others becomes easier to resist.
In the physical realm, panic tells us to run. A similar spiritual panic is common among us. We see – we react. When we experience this kind of panic we don’t consult our first love. Instead, panic necessitates the dangerous falling back on what others have said and what others have done before us solely because it appeared good.
When we resist spiritual panic, those around us who eat from the knowledge of good and evil instead of the Tree of Life may not accept us. They are used to acting before gaining His permission and can’t so easily stand by and watch us act differently. Our patience speaks uncomfortable things to them. In response, they will often attempt to speak panic with a touch of judgment into our minds. They may say hurtful things to us and about us.
It is helpful to recall that Jesus did only what the Father said. His disciples sometimes judged His seeming passivity. Again, in this separation from those around us, we have the opportunity to experience the fellowship of His sufferings. Take courage! What is accomplished through one yielded vessel is dynamic although frequently hidden.