I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.

Psalms 40:1‭-‬3 NIVUK

I’ve just finished a pretty strong round of chemo. At the end of the treatment they set a clock; 100 days. This is the time when I will be most vulnerable to picking up infections. Each day I get a little bit better, but it’s slow progress. Each day actually ends up feeling like the last and its only looking back further that I can see the progress.

This requires something that I have a short supply of; patience! I want to be better as quickly as possible, I want to feel normal again and I just want to be rid of this.

The Bible talks a lot about patience and waiting. It’s one of the attributes of love (1 Corinthians 13:4 NIVUK), It’s one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22‭-‬23 ESV), and on numerous occasions in the context of waiting on God (Psalms 40:1 NIVUK).

But it feels like one of the hardest lessons to learn. I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this. When we cry out to God in pain, when we tell him of our our hearts desire or when we just want things to change, we hand over our situation to him and trust in his perfect timing. This requires faith and patience.

Patience isn’t something we’re all naturally good at, it’s something we have to learn. But over time, if we trust God, he will again and again prove himself to be faithful to us. This should increase our faith and make us more patient with others.

In a perfect world I would patiently wait to get better, trusting God for complete healing and even find joy in the waiting. But I’m far from perfect, I get frustrated and often have doubts as to whether this will ever end.

However, just as each day I get a little bit stronger, so each day I grow a little closer to God and trust him a little bit more. Despite my doubts, I know God has been with me throughout this and will always be with me whatever the future holds. He is lifting me up from my pit, setting my feet on his rock and giving me a new song to sing. Thank you Lord!