by Cathy Vinson

We have need of patience which literally means (under, an abiding) an abiding under. This brings to mind Moses on the hillside lifting his arms to God to guarantee victory for Israel. As time lapsed and against gravity, his arms felt weary and wanted to droop. Another picture seems to take
place at the end of an anaerobic routine, laying on the ground with legs and neck lifted. As a song relentlessly beats on, stomach muscles are screaming! Both of these scenes require an abiding up under, in these cases up under gravity. Taunt, conditioned muscles become a must.

In a similar way patience is the great conditioner of our spiritual muscles. The fortitude to abide under time, conflict, oppression, pressures, discouragement give patience her perfect opportunity.

"You have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God you may inherit the promise." What happens in the interim, between doing and receiving? It is not enough to light the sky momentarily like a firecracker and then fall to the ground lifeless and cold. What keeps the life going when we aren't lighting the sky? There must be perseverance.

The pace, the patience until "He that shall come, will come" (vs 37). We may find ourselves between the doing and promise. Can we keep the pace of Christ until the promise, the "great recompense of reward"?

To give pleasure to God we want to be in position of lunging forward to our coming King. If we draw back ("lowering a sail so as to slacken the course") at His coming, we reveal much about what conditioning we did in the interim.

We need to keep fresh a life that lunges to the sound and sight of Jesus, "the just shall live by faith" (vs 38). We need continual conditioning. We DO need patience!!

(Hebrews 10:36)