Practicing Patience When God Has You Waiting
Some days, it is a lot harder to be patient. When we’re bringing our concerns to the Lord again and again, we grow tired of waiting. It soon begins to feel like our prayers are falling on deaf ears. Often our desire is to take control and just “do the best we can”; it is our fleshly reaction to the silence. We know Galatians 5 lists patience as a fruit of the Holy Spirit so we confess our desire to rule our own lives. We ask the Spirit to fill us, empowering and directing us even as we continue to wait on the Lord.
This doesn’t mean our circumstances change. Our only child remains sick in the hospital, the thread our marriage hangs on continues to splinter, and the hope we’ve held on to for years fades with increasing speed. Having prayed fervently about whatever issue you are facing too many times to count, it’s easy to feel your bank of patience depleting once again. On these days, let these reminders on the nature of patience be an encouragment to you as you continue to wait.
Life Lesson: Time management
Are you still growing spiritually?: Check your compass and let God lead you
You are not alone in the waiting.
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” – Romans 8:22- 25 (New International Version)
Waiting is a common experience. All your brothers and sisters in faith, as well as all of creation know what it is like to wait on the Lord. Consider those who have waited before you: Job, David, a myriad of Prophets. There is plenty of encouragement in the Bible concerning a need for patience and those who have excelled in it. James 5:7, Colossians 1:10-12, Psalm 40:1 and Revelations 14:12 are just a few examples of the myriad of passages about the topic.
The New Bible Dictionary defines patience as “God given restraint in the face of opposition or oppression”. Patience is only needed when there is a reason to not wait. It is only necessary in the face of opposition. This is why seeking patience is in many senses a battle. The promise we can lean on here is that patience is God given restraint. The Lord is the one who provides us with spiritual armor to go into battle. We often think of patience as mere endurance, but such logic is faulty. We are not exercising restraint on our own strength. In truth, our only responsibility is to trust that God will provide the strength to hold on, and then act accordingly to our faith in that promise.
How is this strength given us?
We receive this strength by being filled with the Spirit. As Christians, we know that the ultimate source of patience lives within us. Our role is to trust that the Holy Spirit does live within us, and ask Him for strength to persevere in whatever situation we find ourselves in. This is a provision we can claim by faith as taught us in Romans 5:1-5.
Patience as listed in Galatians 5 is often called longsuffering. The original Greek word is makrothumio, meaning “long temper”. We are to keep a long and slow temper towards God, others and ourselves. This spiritual posture calls for grace. It is grace that compels us to trust God, grace that we can extend to others when they hurt us and grace to forgive ourselves when we stumble and fall.
The experience of waiting on God reminds us that our reality as Christians is not within our apparent circumstances, but rather in the truth of Christ’s love and life in us. This gives us hope as Romans 8:28 assures us that “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” It is not in our abilities to know the time or way in which God will work things out. Ecclesiastes 3:11 and Isaiah 55:8-9 are great reminders that these rest solely in the domain of God’s knowledge. Our role here is to trust the promise of Philippians 1:6 and wait with hope as God’s brings about to completion the good work He began in each of our lives.
What is our role in the battle?
Consider again the definition of patience as God given restraint. God allows us to access divine restraint, but it is our choice to accept it and act in willful obedience. Adam and Eve were given complete free will. They were gifted many provisions in the garden so they wouldn’t need to partake in the fruit that was forbidden. However, they chose to not exercise restraint and instead disobeyed God’s command. When we use God given restraint to wait on His will and timing, we renounce their fallen actions and step out in obedience towards God.
There is purpose in the process. Take a look at Hebrews 12:2. Waiting on God forces us to look to Him. It casts our eyes rightly to Christ as the source of our faith and the assurance of our salvation. It reminds us that Christ’s death and life is the reason we can be filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Trials cause us to persevere by deepening our knowledge of God and relying on him more intentionally. As James 1:2-4 tells us it is here that a mature and complete faith is grown.
Standing patiently when we wait on the Lord does not mean being stuck at a standstill. Consider Ephesians 6 which instructs us to “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then.” To hold ground by remaining obedient to the Lord while waiting is not passive. Note that the word stand is repeated three times. Patience is an act of the will to claim ground for the Kingdom of God, and is rewarded richly by Him. Revelations 3:10-11 tells us of God’s care for those who persevere through the battle.
Whether we feel we lack patience to wait on God, or to continue to love those that may be hard to love, we do in actuality have access to all the patience we need. We can trust God to give us the strength to bear our circumstances and instead use the time of waiting to grow in intimacy with the Lord.
Check out this interactive online study to explore how to develop God’s patient heart in your life.
Choose Patience: Whole-Hearted Enduring
I am so grateful for finding these readings. I am such an in-patient person, after ready thru here I have a better understanding of God’s word and relation to patience. I will continue to be patient and grow with his word. In Jesus name, Amen.
That is a great place to go Mrs. Jay. It is true that our patience stems from our trust that God is going to act in His timing and in His way. Focusing on His promises helps remind us of what He is doing and builds our trust in His character to accomplish His promises. Is that something that you and your husband do together?
Being patient is easier said than done… I’m a Christian and I believe in God and his son Jesus Christ, and there is no but after that. I’m just having trouble with my patience at a very trying time in me and my husbands life. I feel patience and faith work hand and hand. And I also think the reason we lack in patience is because we feel that God is not going to answer our Prayer at all. I’m going to do my best to fight against my own understanding/fleshly feelings and concentrate instead on God’s promises… He will never leave or forsake us.
This is an excellent article, and I know it will be helpful, as waiting and patience have not been my strong points; however, God is growing me, and He is showing me that He can truly transform the most impatient of people. I encourage each of you who are struggling to put your trust in Him and let Him work in You, believing He will come through for you. Truly, our God is a faithful God!
Isn’t it amazing to think that the God of the universe is interested in the smallest things in our lives? And He does not only answer our prayers but He blesses us at the most unexpected times!
I have maybe the most simplest thing to wait for.
An answer. To a very simple decision. What Keyboard to purchase (musical keyboard).
This is agonising me to tears – in knowing that i haven’t AS YET received a FIRM direction from God about what Keyboard to get (ie. an irresistible $$ deal or an absolute blessing – which he has given me many times).
I really believe this is God once again teaching me patience – and that’s why I’m crying – I’m realising this. I know he’ll give me an answer – and I will again cry in joy for the very definitive and unmistakeable Voice of God.
I do not know how ” good things come when we wait”. My question, what are we EXACTLY waiting for and WHY. Doesnt make any sense. Im sick of this patient game dicking around. Its called getting your ASS up and doing!! So ya’ll tell me. I have been so patient with people and everything. I have did my best. Im sick and tired is what I say. Love you GOD, but im venting and im tired. Its time to be blessing me and giving me miracles and blessings….peace
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All good things come to those who wait on the Lord and serve him with all of our strength.In Jesus name.Amen
For the past week I have been saying the Miracle Prayer everyday and reading 3 scriptures of Psalm a day. I have really grown into a patient person, at times I still fight the urge to take things into my own hands, but I know i passed my situations to God and I have to keep being patient and wait on his blessings.
Complete trust and surrender how difficult no matter how many miracles we have experienced in our lives. Well that is a statement which I have experienced I am assuming others have also. Once again G-ds timing reading this article at this time while I wait on G-d to show me the way and what is next. I love the statement if we are worn out with patience than we go ahead and do something justifying we have too. But I never thought of that as an act of disobedience towards G-d. May G-d Bless all of you and rejoice because today is the day the L-rd has made!
Brothers andsisters,I too struggle with accepting changes and requests coming in God’s time no tmine. So far the greatest result has been my own progress further on my path towards God as well as the presence of the holy spirit in my l;ife .Often when you ask for and wait for something big theHolySpirit is working to assist you in many ways that are small but blessed and significant
I am still grappling with:Patience, that it is only needed when there is a reason not to wait. Please clarify for me. Thanking you in advance.
Your brother in Christ,
Joseph
Because this is EXACTLY what i needed to hear, all I can say is “Thank You LORD for using Your daughter to speak a NOW Word to my heart!”
Now, two years has almost gone. God has always taught me the lesson of waiting patiently. I have leanrned to be patient with things and people. I know few verses from Psalm that talk about waiting. For example, Psalm 37:34 teaches us to wait for God and to keep His way, for He will lift us up. May this continue to be an article helpful for those who need.
It’s does get hard so hard when you have been waiting for the longest on God to truly start to bless you with what you are praying him for.I have ask the Lord to continue giving me patience with faith in my daily life.In Jesus name.Amen.Also,I will have been single and celibate so far on March3,2010.Bless be to God…
I just finished reading Passion & Purity by Elisabeth Elliot. And that book discusses so much about waiting, not in vain but actively! And I really admire the honesty of Jim Elliot about he felt about “Bett” as he fondly called her. And instead of giving in to his raging hormones, he threw his energy to doing what God wants him to do at that time. And when His perfect time came, he “demonstrated” his love for Bett by declaring his love finally and asking her to marry him.
In this day & age when people opt to go “instant” than to wait on the Lord, Elizabeth & Jim Elliot’s love story, which they placed under the lordship of Jesus, should be every single person’s standard.
I believe that waiting on God is part of one’s life. This is necessary as a lot of time we try to be in hurry when we have things to do.
“Blessed are those who wait for him!” (Isaiah 30:18) This verse tells us that if we wait for God, we can receive His blessing. So, for me it will much better for me to wait for Him so that I can be patient. Also, this is a way to get close to God more and more.
I hope that this article really helps people a lot.