I had laid down to sleep, frustrated and a little discouraged. The latest news headlines ran through my mind: attempted assignation, rumors of more war, Israel on alert, exposures in the church, and a chaotic political arena. My final thought before sleep was, “With so much on my mind, it may be a long night.”

When I finally drifted off to sleep, something odd began to happen. It didn’t feel like a dream, but it was definitely a night-season experience. Although God often speaks to me through dreams, I don’t think I have ever experienced a night like this one. All night, a scripture was being repeated to me, audibly, over and over.  I woke up speaking this Word of God out loud.

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The scripture is found in James 1:4.

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.

The word, let, in the Strong’s Concordance, means to hold oneself to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to, to be closely joined to a person or a thing. In times of confusion and chaos, we must cling to God and His Word. We must join together with Him and His will for our country.

The word patience means cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy, enduring, patience, and patient continuance (waiting). Am I cheerfully enduring and continuing to trust God? Or am I mumbling and complaining about everything we see across our nation?

The word, perfect, means wanting nothing necessary to completeness perfect. Is this not what we want for the United States? For God to do a complete and perfect work across the land.

The word, work, means to finish, perform, accomplish, achieve, work out, and bring about results of a thing. God’s Word is clear – He will complete what He started and bring about the results of His Word, if we continue to wait upon Him.

The word, entire, means complete in all its parts, in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole, a body without blemish or defect, free from sin and fault, complete in all respects. Do we not all want a whole and defect-free nation? One that is complete in all respects.

As I dug into the meaning of the words in this scripture, I was convicted.

Was I truly cheerfully enduring and continuing to trust God? I must admit that I am not always cheerful in waiting to see God’s promises fulfilled in our land. The night before was clear proof—I went to sleep frustrated and distracted by recent events.

Instead of being confounded by what we see and hear daily, we must continue to trust God cheerfully. We must cling to the Word of God and God’s promises for our nation. We must continue to hope in God and His faithfulness.

We must collectively proclaim God’s Word over the United States of America regardless of the chaos and confusion.

We must also remember the Word of God will not fail; it will come to pass.

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).

We have a promise from God.

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

 If we humble ourselves—many of us have—pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways—again, many have done this—then God will hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land.

God has not left this country or His people. He is at work. As we can clearly see, much has been exposed, and even more exposure is happening. It took years for the United States to get to this point, and it will take time for us to get back to where God wants us to be—the place of healing and restoration of our land.

I realize this season of purging, exposing, and cleansing seems to be unending. Healing won’t happen overnight, and restoration will take longer than a day. I know that is what God was showing me. He was also encouraging me that He is still at work. We must allow patience to work in the process.

It is never fun to wait. We live in a speed-driven society. We have drive-thru restaurants, banks, and even prayer rooms. We blow the horn if the person in front of us doesn’t depart from a red light soon enough—waiting is not typical in our current environment.  Yet, the Bible tells us to wait on God and to do it cheerfully.

Waiting on God isn’t inactive. It requires our involvement. It means continuing to stand on the Word of God regardless of what we see. It is confessing His Word over your situation consistently. It is refusing to give up, refusing to become negative, and refusing to speak against what He has promised. It is praying and interceding over our nation daily until we see the change and completeness we desire to see in our city, state, and country.

Remember, there is a reward in the waiting – in allowing patience to have its perfect work.

The reward is that we want nothing! We are perfectly complete in whatever we believe from God: without lack, sound, entire, whole in body, without blemish or defect, complete in all respects. That reward could be that we once again live in a country of one nation completely under God, a nation that acknowledges the God of this land, the ONE true God—Jehovah.

That, my friend, is worth waiting for. That is worth choosing to be cheerful about.

I do not know what you are standing in faith for today. Whatever it is, may I suggest you allow patience to have its perfect work. I believe this is a key to this season – to allow patience to finish the work in us and the United States and bring it to ultimate completion.

Philippians 1:6 says, Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Jesus will finish what He started in your personal life, your family, your city, and our nation. And for us, we will see the promised results—nothing lacking or missing. If we continue to exercise patience, the manifested perfect will of God will take place everywhere we look.

Throughout the night, Jesus spoke to me – “let patience work. Let Me bring things to a place of completion – trust Me, I am working, but I am not doing it halfway – I am doing a finished work, wait for it. You will see it with your eyes.”

For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. (Hab 2:3) I love this promise! It will surely come. His promises will surely come.

I will leave you with one more scripture.

Isaiah 25:9 says, And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

It is my prayer that we once again see the fullness of the work of patience in this land and experience His enduring salvation, personally and nationally.

Are you encouraged? Please share!

Kim Potter is the author of Deeper Still, a 90-day devotional on a deeper relationship with God. She is also the founder of A New Thing Ministries, which sends a daily teaching to thousands of people all around the world. Her articles have appeared on The Elijah List, in Charisma Magazine, and on Spirit Fuel and iBelieve.com. Kim’s message is one of hope. She speaks to the hearts of those who have grown discouraged or disappointed by the circumstances of life, to impart hope. To order her new book or receive her daily encouraging writings, visit her website at www.anewthingministries.com, or Books Archives – A New Thing Ministries.