Le Louvre Paris, France.
My famous Le Louvre picture. I love Paris, France. I know Paris more than I know Boston. I just adore this city. I will use any excuse to visit Paris.
On this particular trip to France, I wanted a picture of Le Louvre without people in it. Do you have any idea how long I needed to stand there for me to take this picture? A long time. I just sat there until I got my perfect picture. But I was not just sitting there. I was praying while I was waiting. I love these moments with God. Who knew that six years later, God would use that moment in time to write a devotional about patience? God’s timing is perfect, friends. This morning, this picture came up as a memory on Facebook. Immediately, I felt a stirring from the Holy Spirit. “Waiting on Me, Teresa.” This word is for you, too. God is saying to you, “Wait on Me.”
Let me give you some info about this beautiful place. The Louvre is one of the most famous museums in the world. I enjoyed going to this museum to see the Mona Lisa. Truly a wonderful museum filled with so much history. I spent a whole day there with my cousin, Lidia. This beautiful place once served as the royal palace for French Kings, in the 16th and 17th centuries. Then, when King Louis XVI moved to his residence in Versailles during the French Revolution, they made this palace a public museum. I love to visit this palace and just sit there embracing its beauty. It is located in the center of Paris, and it is adjacent to the Tuileries Gardens. It’s a habit of mine. I then go over to the Tuileries Gardens and sit on the bench and take in all the beauty around me. It is breathtaking. I have done a lot of thinking and praying in this place.
Today the following scriptures came to my mind. I put them together because it tells us a story. Let’s read it. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you.
"But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." "I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry."
Do you see what I see here in these three Bible Verses?
We must hope for what we do not see and wait with patience for it until IT IS seen. In other words, wait until IT shows up.
While we wait, we MUST rejoice in this hope. Regardless of our tribulations. No matter how hard it is, how difficult to believe, or whatever.
We MUST be constant in prayer. We can’t stop praying for what we have heard in the spirit realm.
We WAIT patiently for the Lord until He hears our cry, at which point He acts on our behalf.
You see, it’s a process. We start with waiting, and we end with waiting on God. As we wait, we must rejoice. We cannot have a complaining spirit or a looking at our watches “Hurry up God” attitude. Yes, waiting on God is not easy. Just like I had to sit there to take my perfect picture. We must be in constant prayer until God brings to pass that which He promised us. We must persevere in our prayer life to birth that which has been promised. God will hear our praise as we rejoice in Him. He will bring to pass that which He promised.
Take time and look at these scriptures for yourself. You will discover this truth.
Patience is a powerful attribute. Patient people are blessed people. Patience has nothing to do with passivity or resignation. Rather, it is all about power. When we wait on God, it becomes an emotionally freeing practice for waiting and watching for God to act. As well as for understanding when we are to act. It’s a powerful thing. God hears and then He shows us what to do. Listen with patience and receive your blessing.
Let’s read the Bible verses again, as I put them in order to prove the above statement.
"But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." "I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry."
Rev. Dr. Teresa Allissa Citro
Founder and President Thread of Hope