Do you have dreams and desires in your heart that are yet to see the light of day? Me, too, my friend. And it’s hard to wait, while we ache with longing, isn’t it? Yet God isn’t as absent or silent as we sometimes think He is. Rather, He is actively developing spiritual fruit in us, such as endurance, which comes from patient perseverance.
There is a Holy purpose at work to prepare us for what lies ahead. Although we may not be able to fully see or sense it yet, when we surrender to God, and acknowledge that He is Lord over all, we can trust He is working hard in the background of our lives.
Holy Spirit quietly refines our mind, hones our desires, readies the ground, encourages us to sow our seeds of faith and prepares us to receive at just the right time, in line with God’s eternal plans for our lives. We may want to see fruit straight away but it grows slowly as we root ourselves deeper into Christ.
“So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience”
~ Colossians 1:10-11 NIV
endurance
trust in the longing
have faith while it’s being stretched
endure for Christ’s sake
©joylenton
The tilling and unearthing that may be necessary to build a good foundation can feel uncomfortable to our souls, addicted to ease and comfort as they are. But if we are willing to yield, open to receive and able to cooperate with God, we will find our Holy Spirit-enabled endurance has paid off, helping to produce Godly character in us.
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
~ Romans 5:3-5 NIV
Poetry Joy 
Yes, yes. and yes! I often return to this verse “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
That’s such a wise verse, isn’t it? And certainly the best way to ensure our desires align with God’s intentions for us. Thanks for sharing, Tara. Have a blessed weekend, my friend! xo 💜
Reblogged this on Pastor Michael Moore's Blog and commented:
Well said, Joy… not always easy but absolutely necessary
Michael, I think the longer we live the more we see patient endurance as a necessity in our walk of faith. The hard part is yielding while it is being developed in us! Bless you for sharing, dear friend. 😊
Dear Joy,
What beautiful, encouraging words today! I am hearing the Lord speak these same things to me, to endure, to be patient with the work that He is doing, but it is hard to trust there, isn’t it? Thank you for the reminder that the longing itself is an indication that His Spirit is at work within us! Again, I love your image of the leaves that appear to be stretching heavenward! Blessings, love and hugs to you
Dear Bettie, I’m so thankful for that Holy Spirit inspired longing within! How much harder it would be to develop the fruit of the Spirit without a holy desire being given to us. I also intended the longing to be interpreted as the hopes, desires and dreams in our hearts, because they are so often implanted there by God, knowing we need Him to refine and purify the longing and to trust in His perfect timing to bring things to pass. I love how you have seen my intentions in the images here, to show how we are to be planted in God as we stretch and grow our character and faith. Blessings, love and hugs to you! xo 💜
“We may want to see fruit straight away but it grows slowly as we root ourselves deeper into Christ.” We get so impatient sometimes, don’t we? But God is working all the while even when we can’t see it. Thanks for sharing the passage in Romans 5. It really is encouraging knowing God’s love is poured into our hearts and we have the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide.
I love your haiku! Blessings to you, dear Joy! Love and hugs! xoxo
Dear Gayl, I make no secret of my impatience. Though it can so often be a soul stumbling block, making it hard to sense God’s hand at work. But as we grow in spiritual sensitivity and discernment, the eyes of our heart open up and develop greater awareness of how God operates in the world around and in us. That passage from Romans 5 is such an encouragement and inspiration to continue to trust when life gets hard and faith feels stretched beyond all endurance. Praise God we don’t have to rely on our own meagre resources! Thank you for your kind appreciation of the haiku. Blessings, love and hugs to you! xoxo