But for us to truly want to tackle the challenge of becoming more patient, we must understand how important patience really is. I believe that patience is one the most important fruits of the Spirit, second only to love. The reason: Life itself contains many periods of waiting. When a child goes through the lengthy process of education, they must wait as they are taught necessary rules and knowledge before they can venture out into the big, wide world. Workers in all fields must labor at their jobs until they gain the experience and expertise to be promoted. And I must wait as the Lord accomplishes my physical healing in His timing.
As much as we want to wish it away, we must wait for good things to happen. I know that as a Christian, God uses this difficult process of waiting to sanctify us. Sanctification is the sometimes uncomfortable way in which God endeavors to remove imperfections in our behavior. From past experience, I know that God is good and has our best interests at heart. And since that is true, I know the end result of sanctification will be a great blessing to us. Furthermore, this process will be a lot easier if we are patient.
But what is the biblical basis for all of this? Well, it begins in the book of Psalms, a large book of Hebrew poetry written mainly by King David. Psalms 33:4-5 says, “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”
God is the Righteous One, full of truth and justice. He will never treat the human race unfairly. Plus, the fact that He came to the Earth in lowly, human form to die on a cross for our sins proves that He is not only just but also more than willing to extend undeserved grace to us all. This gives us hope in all circumstances that God will work things out in the end, just as Jeremiah did even as Israel was being destroyed. “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:21-26).
And during every step of our journey through life as Christians, God guides us, strengthens us, and blesses us. Psalms 119:105 tells us, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” This oft-quoted verse reminds us that God’s Word, the Bible, contains all the knowledge and wisdom we need to live a holy life. Twenty chapters later, we find an even greater promise. “You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” (Psalms 139:5-6 NLT).
You might say, “That's all well and good, but if God is so trustworthy, why wouldn't he choose an easier road by which to sanctify us.” That thought, which I've had many times myself, brings up a necessary point that God described to the prophet Isaiah long ago. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Hard to swallow, isn't it? We can never truly know why God has led us down the bumpy road we're on, but the fact is that this is the only path there is. The sooner we come to grips with that fact, the better.
It is vital to remember the words Jesus Himself once said. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). Jesus never said he wouldn't lead us through hard times; in fact, at another time, He said that we would have troubles in world. But in pursuit of the ETERNAL life He wants to give us, temporary problems pale in comparison.
All the while, Jesus instructs us to not worry, a skill that is necessary to learn if we are to be patient. “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?’” (Luke 12:22-25). Worry and impatience are inextricably linked together. If we worry, we can easily become impatient. If one becomes impatient, worry is not far behind. We must combat our tendency to worry if we want to become patient people.
The answer as to how to do that is simple. It all starts with prayer. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). If we remember to present our requests to God in prayer right when we are tempted to worry, we give ourselves a mighty advantage in our daily battle against impatience. God is on our side and is always ready to give us just what we need to weather the storms of this life, whether large or small.
Whenever a challenge presents itself in our lives and we are tempted to think, “How am I ever going to get through this?” we can look to Jesus for the right response. “‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered" (Mark 11:22). God will make everything right in the end, and we will be a lot less stressed if we are patient while He accomplishes his perfect and pleasing will. Knowing this, “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1b-2). Jesus overcame the pain of the cross and is ready to give us the power to overcome the difficulties in our lives if we will just trust Him. So, as much as possible, let us learn to relinquish our desire to control every single area of our lives and let God handle things. Although no easy task, this choice to give God control will develop in us the deep-rooted ability to be patient.
Every time we learn to trust God in a new area of our lives, we take one more step toward being able to make a declaration that all true believers long to make. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).
So the next time you are stuck in traffic, turn on some Christian music and remember God is in control. When you get sick or face health issues, rest in the knowledge that God is with you. And the next time a major challenge confronts you, hold fast to the assurance that God is working everything for your good.
All verses are taken from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise specified.
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