Too often, we shout, “Hurry up!” This is not Christ-like. We see in Jesus a life where patience and prayer guided every word and deed. Consider what happened just after Jesus healed a boy that his disciples had been unable to help:
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive [the demon] out [of the sick boy]?”
He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
– Mark 9:28-29
I’ve come to believe that prayer and patience are closely tied. Jesus taught prayer this way; “[God’s] kingdom come (I am affirming as I pray), [God’s] will be done, on earth, as in heaven.” This is taking the long view. Affirming God and our patience as we pray. A boy may be healed today, as we pray. Or the healing we seeking may be days, years, or centuries. Patience and prayer are like two waves riding the same sea of our deep relationship with God.
I hate to add this, but what troubles me most about the Trump administration is his lack of patience. It makes me wonder if he ever prays. Good process takes time. Desirable ends never justify doing things hurriedly, or without weighing whether an action is justified or not, or demonstrates our compassion for those who are weak.
A just peace in Ukraine or Gaza may take decades to achieve. We cannot invent today, out of thin air, an appropriate response to a Texas measles outbreak, a California wildfire, or a famine in the Sudan. We depend upon the patient research of generations of scientists, as well as, the practice of compassion by thousands of healthcare professionals and USAID workers in the field. Our prayers today, stand on the shoulders of those diligent men and women. Our patience supports their work and reveals our gratitude.