The Remedy of Faith and Patience

Most people reading this are facing a trial or some form of adversity. It is part of the human plight. Most of the time our response to these trials and adversities is to want to relief and to want it immediately.

While enjoying a Saturday afternoon alone and reading about pastor Charles Simeon and his response to enduring twelve long years of opposition from his flock, he said the following. "In this state of things I saw the only remedy was faith and patience."

The word remedy means something that brings a cure or healing medicine. When we face trials, especially those long and sustained trials, we need the healing medicine of faith and patience. This is the cure of getting through. What we deceptively think is the remedy is to get immediate relief from the adversity and source of our frustrations. Better yet most of us think the best medicine is to avoid the difficulties of life at all costs.

You might be surprised to learn that Simeon remained in that one church for fifty-four years. Eventually the flock quit resisting him but the trials did not stop. For the thirteen years between the age of forty-seven and sixty Simeon suffered something wrong in his throat and ability to speak. At times he could barely speak above a whisper but he never stopped preaching. He endured this for thirteen grueling years. Faith and patience helped him through the dozen early years with his congregation and faith and patience also proved the remedy to his physical sufferings as well.

The healing medicine for Simeon remained in faith and patience. People talk a good deal about faith and I have been known to write about it and preach about it myself. Trials have a way of showing the strength or deficiency of our faith. The word faith means confidence, assurance, trust, and belief. When the adversity comes and when it persists a weak faith will be exposed. We will quit living with God's assurance. We no longer trust or live with the confidence that God will come through. So I guess the real question is how do we continue to strengthen our faith.

In  my life I have known only two ways. First and by far and away the most effective way has been scripture reading and meditation. When God's word gets in me it is like protein needed to build faith muscles. Scripture reading and meditation are vital to building and sustaining a strong faith. Faith is the remedy to help to keep living with hope. Faith is the remedy to inspire us to keep praying when we have not seen the long awaited answer for weeks, months, years, or decades. When my mind dwells on the promises of God faith soars and hope abounds.

A second way to strengthen our faith is to read Christian biography and autobiographies. Others lived, suffered, endured, and came through victoriously. We can learn from them. Only second to the scriptures, God has used the lives of other men and women from previous centuries to minister to our generation.

Dig deep in the wells of the scriptures and Christian biographies and autobiographies.

Patience is also a remedy. Synonyms for patience include steadfastness. Some people translate the word patience to mean cheerful constancy. It is one thing to endure with steadfastness and constancy. It is a whole different matter to endure with cheerfulness. We may want our adversities to end and when they do not our joy can ebb like the evening tide. The remedy of patience is a healing balm. Patience helps us keep getting up in the morning, coming to God at the throne of grace in prayer, and doing our duty with joy.

The remedies of faith and patience cannot be underestimated. Regardless of what we are dealing with, if our cups overflowed with the remedy of faith and patience, we could get through anything. These are not character traits we can just will through sheer determination to strengthen. Faith and patience are results of God's grace. May we plead for more of both to be the healing medicine we need to triumph in life come comfort or afflictions.