Patience
Open Your Bible
Isaiah 30:18-26, Ecclesiastes 7:8-9, 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15, James 5:7, 2 Peter 3:1-13
BY Melanie Rainer
My youngest daughter turns three next month. She is at the delightfully frustrating age where she wants to do far more than she is physically or emotionally able to do, and usually, that means I spend a lot of time waiting for her to “do it all by my OWN!” (Her adorable way of saying “myself.”)
We love to go on walks as a family in the evenings. My eldest flies down the sidewalk on her bike with training wheels, but my youngest isn’t very speedy. Nor does she try particularly hard to go fast on her scooter or her balance bike. More often that not, my husband and I trade off for the very arduous, slow task of pushing her, drenched with summer sweat, watching the other spouse laughing and jogging in the distance. No manner of coaxing, teaching, encouraging, or letting her go on hills will motivate her to do it herself. So a few weeks ago, I bought her a tricycle. I thought, Surely this will solve our nightly struggle! But dear reader, it did not. Now we just take turns pushing her princess-adorned tricycle up and down the hill.
There is no fast track for learning to ride a bike, but boy, has it ever tested my patience almost every night this past summer, along with nearly everything else about this almost-comically-catastrophic year. My patience ran out on day two of quarantine, and that was over eight months ago. Have we ever, collectively, felt so impatient, so restless, so tired of non-progress? I’m impatient for the past and the future at the same time. I reason, If we can’t go back to where we were, maybe we could at least hurry up and get to where we’re going!
This, my friends, is the same tension we feel spiritually. Our impatience for all things to be made new through the restoring, perfecting power of Jesus lingers every day. We long for it to be here soon—Maranatha! Come, Lord! The prophet describes this very longing, set in the hearts of all who believe (Isaiah 30:18–26). And yet, there is a difference between patience from the Spirit (waiting for God’s kingdom to reign forever!) and sinful impatience.
Sinful impatience says, “I know what’s right and exactly what I need, and I’m mad I’m not getting it right now.” Patience says, “I trust the Lord and His promises.” Scripture leads us to the same conclusion: a proud spirit is bound up in impatience (Ecclesiastes 7:8). Patience is grown from trust in the Lord and His timing, convinced He knows what we really need, in every realm and facet of our lives.
I believe my daughter will learn to ride a bike. I believe Jesus will return. There are a lot of things I believe I need or want to be happy, but ultimately, my attitude is more often than not one of prideful impatience. It’s impatience born out of my desire to be in control. What the Holy Spirit provides through ongoing sanctification is true patience. I trust Him with my eternity; I need to better trust Him with each day.
79 thoughts on "Patience"
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@Lauren we have recently been in a similar season and it is so hard! We went into round two of trying for a baby with the expectation it would happen as quickly as it did the first time…the feeling that were in control of it. When that didn’t happen month after month, it was so hard and we (I primarily) had to ask God “why isn’t this good thing not happening?” and He kept telling me to have patience and wait on His timing – even though I didn’t and still do not understand the purpose of the waiting. Maybe someday we will and maybe we won’t. I trust that He knows better than I – who should I be in trying put myself in the seat of God in knowing what is best. After a year of trying, I’m writing this to you now 7 months along and so thankful for God’s timing knowing He is writing a story far better than one I could write on my own. Glory be to God!
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❤️ Please pray for me to have peace as I have some dental procedures and surgery for for a sun related skin cancer on my nose scheduled. I am so thankful for your insights and daily testimonies and sharing.
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Thank you all for sharing. I have not posted on here before, but felt called to do that today.
My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for almost two and a half years now. Every month I go through the same cycle of disappointment, anger, asking God, “why not now?” And then trying to be “patient” and hopeful for the next month. We did our second IUI cycle this past month and are in the dreaded waiting period again. I’m quick to tell others that I know God has a plan for us and we will be okay waiting, but my heart does not always believe that honestly. I realized I have been leaning on my “sinful impatience” rather than the patience from the Holy Spirit. I wrote down the line from the devotional that said “I trust Him with my eternity: I need to better trust Him with each day.” In this season of burdens and trials most of us are facing this year, I pray that we can have spiritual patience to help us see the bigger picture of God’s love and hope for each of us.
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Jessica, my pastor said something last week that could be of encouragement. He was talking about how the Spirit intercedes on our behalf in prayer so that all things work together for our good and God’s glory. (Romans 8). He talked about how because the Spirit intercedes on our behalf, “we can pray bold prayers.” His mother battled cancer many years ago, and he wondered if he should pray for God’s will to be done or for her to be healed. But he said that he could pray boldly for her to be healed trusting in God’s goodness and knowing He works for our good and His glory. So I think you can pray boldly for your baby and also remain faithful in God’s goodness in all circumstances, knowing that all things work for your good and His glory. Praying for you as well, sister.
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Patience is what I am struggling with. And gentleness in my impatience. All of these are so interconnected, they are really one fruit. The FRUIT of the Spirit, not the fruits. I used to think I could somehow work on just one at a time, but they depend on one another, as they should, I cannot have gentleness and patience without first Love! So really I am struggling to Love as Christ asks us to.
I am praying for growth, and learning to daily, moment by moment submit and die to self, so that it is indeed the Spirit who is producing fruit through love, not my own selfish nature. -
Thank you Lisa. Your words hit home with me. ❤️
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Prior to beginning today’s study, I anticipated a lesson patience with other people but no!! Patience with the timing of God. So good!
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Have a great day, girls!
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