Rob Patz: How long have you been waiting? 

2019 October SGNScoops Publisher’s Point by Rob Patz

“For the man was more than forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was wrought.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭4:22‬ ‭ASV‬‬

How long have you been waiting? 

I’m sure most of us are familiar with this story in Acts from Sunday School and I’m sure you’ve heard countless sermons about the man who was crippled from birth.

As the story is detailed in Acts chapter 3, we see the crippled man continues to be faithful, waiting for someone to come along and help him. 

I read this as I was getting on a plane headed from Columbus, Mississippi, to Atlanta, Georgia, and I thought about him, a man who struggled from birth with a situation that in the time and era of the Bible, would’ve put him in a very vulnerable position. There are a few parts of the story that I really wonder about: I wonder about the people that helped him each day to get where he needed to go, and I wonder about his faith.

So back to my story for a second. Here I am, on a plane headed from Columbus, Mississippi. We’ve just finished a great event in Vernon Alabama, and I was headed back to Atlanta. The joke is that it takes a village to keep me (Rob) going. That really is the case. I have a fantastic group of people, both on my staff, and in my personal life, who allow me to do exactly what God has called me to do. 

There are some neat things that are happening with the magazine and with my company. As we took off and breached the cloud cover into beautiful sunny skies, I thought about some of those things, some of the opportunities I have prayed for, for 20+ years. I could have become discouraged, I could have given up and moved on, but instead I have done everything I can to hold fast to what God has promised.

Sometimes, in our Christian faith, as doers of the word and workers in his kingdom, we all need a Peter and/or John to come alongside us.  There are times in life we have to be reminded that even though we are strong in the faith, it takes a community, it takes people that are willing to listen to what God has for us and who are willing to lift us up.

Over the last 12 months, I will tell you that I have watched God answer prayers that not only have I prayed about, but close family friends have also prayed about since I was a child. I’m excited to talk about those answers over the next year. As we continue our journey together, look around you for your Peter and John, and your miracle could be today.

Just remember that this may not happen immediately. There must’ve been so many days of discouragement for the crippled man. However, I can only imagine the victory that this man felt when, after his healing, he could share the joy of his healing, not only with his family, but also with those who cared for him for all those years.

I pray that each of us who are in transition, waiting for our answers to prayer to occur, will remember that we need our community, our family and friends who support us. And that each of us will have our own story of victory to share with each other.

Come be with our Creekside family at Pigeon Forge, Tenn., on Oct. 27 – 31. We want to share music, fun, fellowship, and prayer with you. If you enjoy Southern, Country, or Bluegrass gospel music, you need to join us. For more information visit www.gospelmusicconvention.com or write events@sgnscoops.com.

By Rob Patz

First published by SGNScoops Magazine October 2019

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