Spiritual patience

Patience.

Just saying the word makes you want to grimace or roll your eyes.

Patience.

But it seems as though we're always waiting for something. Waiting for a certain thing to happen, for one thing to begin and another to end. Waiting for more time or more money. Waiting for our marriage to get better or for our spouse to change. Waiting for the kids to grow up. Waiting for our prayers to be answered. But God says that waiting is good. That's because it produces patience in us.

Paul tells us that patience is a byproduct of having God’s Spirit living in us (Galatians 5:22). However, just because we’re waiting doesn’t mean that we’re being patient. And yet, we can't have patience without the waiting.

What does waiting on God do for us?

David says in Psalms 26:2-3, “Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my mind and my heart. For Your loving-kindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth.” Sometimes waiting can reveal our true motives.

One pre-marriage counseling suggestion is to watch how your future spouse handles waiting for something to download on a slow computer, or how they react to being put on hold for 45 minutes waiting to ask a simple question about car insurance or something. Those periods of waiting really do test our character.

Another benefit of waiting is the anticipation that builds for whatever we’re waiting for. Consider the wonderful benefits of waiting to have sex until we’re married. Consider the benefits waiting to graduate before trying to find a career. These are just a few benefits that help us appreciate the rewards that are associated with something better, later.

Part of the problem is failing to see how God will use that wait time. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11-12, “But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you…” In context, he’s warning against the dangers of money. The temporary allurement of wealth can cause us to quit on the things that last forever. Money can end up being the antithesis of patience.

Hebrews 11:24-26, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt…”

So how do we get that Moses-like patience? Or the heart that truly pursues godliness even if I have to wait a long time for it?

We may need to pray for patience. It’s taboo in our culture to say that, but it’s true. What if Satan helped to promote that notion that praying for patience was a mistake? It would serve his purpose better than it would God’s purposes for your life.

Another step might be to re-evaluate what I’m doing while I’m waiting. We live in a multi-task culture that is always “finding something to do with our time.” So why not try that spiritually?

• Psalms 130:5, “I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope.”

• Micah 7:7, “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation.”

Waiting on the Lord gives me the sense that something is going on, but I just can't see it at the moment. But I wait with eager anticipation to see what God is going to do.

For that, it leads me to be thankful. We’re constantly reminded in scripture to be thankful. Whether it’s in what Christ did on the cross, or for God’s design for the church, or even for our trials we face, God works amazing things through those who love Him.

And instead of complaining about our obstacles, we could keep quiet and do as Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.” Complain less, pray more with thankfulness knit within every situation. Even if we don’t understand the situation.

But perhaps waiting on God, and demonstrating patience, is a powerful method for not giving up. He’s promised a reward to those that persevere through whatever happens to us (Revelations 2:10), and time after time epistles were written to churches urging them to stay in the game. Run as if you want to win, not like a quitter who stops when it gets too hard.

We might be surprised how much exercising patience grows our faith to unheard of levels. So pray, wait, thank God, be still, and press on towards what God is willing to do in you… if you’ll wait on His timing.