A few years ago, I drove to the Grand Canyon in the US. As we marveled at the natural beauty before us, we had to strain our eyes to see the little ribbon of water winding its way through the bottom of the massive canyon, one of the tributaries of the Colorado River. It was that tributary, some believe, that helped to patiently carve and make manifest the immense and majestic marvel we now viewed—the likes of which no human has ever been able to create!
In this day and age, it’s easy for us to forget the importance and power of patience. After all, our culture is one that values instant gratification—one in which patience has little to no value. What good is waiting when we can communicate with people instantaneously through email or phones or texts, or pick up a loaf of bread at a store that’s open 24 hours a day? Patience seems like a bygone value of a bygone age.
But in chapter 5 in Galatians we come to see where patience springs from. “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). A life filled with the power and presence of God’s Spirit will not only be a life filled with love and peace, but patience as well. And patience is indeed powerful, for it allows us to persevere—even suffer—through difficult circumstances that would otherwise cause us to turn from God (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5).
So, in some way, patience is the means through which we can witness the full power of God. And as we pray for and seek God’s Spirit and strength to fill our lives, we can know that He will also help us to be more patient as well!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Jeremiah 1:1-9
More:
Read Genesis 41:9-41 and consider how Joseph patiently waited for God to work in his life.
Next:
Do you lack patience in your life? What situation reveals this most clearly? How can you trust God more even as you wait on Him?
raptoreagle on May 24, 2016 at 3:55 am
patience is a virtue
gagirllive on May 24, 2016 at 5:57 am
Love this, Peter. It’s right where I am…patiently waiting on God. I’m holding on to what James had to say about it…”But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (v.4) It is a powerful thing to wait patiently on the Lord because He has so much to teach us “in the wait”. One thing God has shown me is that He places a higher priority on us waiting ON or IN Him than waiting FOR Him. In other words, He is often more interested in the work He wants to do IN us than FOR us. While we are waiting FOR God to come through with that job, that promotion, that child, that spouse, that healing, etc., God is using the wait time to do character refinement IN us. He’s all about conforming us to the image of Christ. So, I remind myself daily that He is working in me even when I can’t see Him working for me. Another thing is ATTITUDE. True patience is about HOW WE ACT while we wait. That’s where we witness the power of God at work in our lives. I know when I wait with a bad attitude it’s a total waste. I don’t learn anything and God doesn’t do anything. I love the example of Joseph (my favorite Bible hero!). He kept a good attitude while he waited on God. He didn’t complain. He didn’t get mad at God. He stayed in faith and leaned into God. He even named his sons Hebrew names that reflected his journey with God. I especially like what Ephraim means: “God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (Gen. 41:52) Fruitful! Patience…the fruit of the Spirit. May we all bear this fruit in our lives as we learn to wait on the LORD. Such a good word for me today! Thanks, Peter. Blessings to all.
elegantstarr1 on May 24, 2016 at 8:05 am
Amen! Very well said Gagirl!
sandy229 on May 24, 2016 at 10:01 am
very well stated gagirl! I really like the way you put this, it helps to remind me that while I am waiting for my prodigal to return, I have much to learn. I also know that a bad attitude is no help at all but rather a hindrance. So, like you I also have to remind myself daily of this. Thanks so much for your words, you are truly a blessing to me.
hsnpoor on May 24, 2016 at 11:31 am
gagirllive, that is a really, really good word, especially the part about waiting ON/IN Him, to work His Will in/for us; rather, than waiting FOR Him to do what we will for ourselves. I really think that understanding what Jesus said in Gethsemane is the key that unlocks the door to patience “Your Will, Father, not mine be done”. If we’re not constantly clamoring at God’s door looking for our wants and desires to be fulfilled, but rather bowing at his feet, making our requests known, with that Gethsemane caveat and sincere thanksgiving for what He has ALREADY done, we are right where the Lord would have us and just the position alone is a place of blessing. Glory!
gagirllive on May 24, 2016 at 12:17 pm
You make a great point, hsnpoor, about Gethsemane. The word itself means “a place of pressing” as in olives or grapes. Our Lord Jesus was being “pressed” beyond comprehension as He agonized in the garden. What came from Him in His time of pressure was submission to the Father’s will. He “patiently” accepted His purpose and destiny for which He was sent. As I think on my own life, I must ask myself what comes out of me during times of “pressing”? There is great revelation as to who we are when we are under pressure. I believe God uses those times to reveal and build in us those characteristics of Christ—the fruit of the Spirit, and in particular, patience as we are discussing here today. Thank you for that insight on Gethsemane, friend!
hsnpoor on May 25, 2016 at 8:09 am
I didn’t know that, about Gethesmane! Thank you for that! Indeed, when we’re pressed we sometimes forget we have options/choices as to how to respond to the pressure and how we respond will determine whether we come through the trial bitter or better.
sandy229 on May 24, 2016 at 6:12 pm
Yes, instead of asking God to do something for me I will wait to see what He is going to do through me. That’s an excellent point you made Kim and gagirl.
godlove on May 24, 2016 at 2:43 pm
Nice comment, gagirl. We can’t just idly wait FOR God, truly it is much more beneficial to wait ON(IN) Him; waiting as His children, always within the fellowship, rather than waiting like strangers for requests to be fulfilled. This brings me to my thoughts upon reading the questions in the Next section, as we wait on God we learn to trust in His divine provision and in His divine will, knowing that He alone is in control. Patience is a powerful virtue indeed to have for the journey! Thanks for the insightful post Peter.
Gary Shultz on May 24, 2016 at 6:04 am
Peter, you carved out one of those testy ” virtues” that can be tested from all angles. And just for the record, if you lack patience and ask for it, expect a lot of strain to help produce the proper result. And it is the proper result we are looking for, the calm peace that is unwavering in the turbulence of life. Sometimes nothing can speak more loudly than someone who is graciously patent, an outstanding, easily seen quality. I know God would want us to be large in this department; however, growing this gift is often a task of crushing introspection and reliance on God. Very stretching, but of enormous value. Thanks Peter
sandy229 on May 24, 2016 at 10:11 am
Yes, this is so true, and when we pray for patience, God does give it to us, and we learn from it, and we learn the real value of being patient. Blessings to you.
gagirllive on May 24, 2016 at 10:22 am
Ha!…so true. Patience is always learned through difficulties! Do we not get that? It’s interesting to me that we single out praying for patience to be manifested in our lives. The fruit of the Spirit is a cluster, is it not?
hsnpoor on May 24, 2016 at 11:35 am
Which is a perfect intro into what I was thinking from reading Gary’s comment: a lot of good grapes have to be “crushed” to produce an excellent bottle of wine!
sandy229 on May 24, 2016 at 10:05 am
Yesterday, I saw first hand the value of patience. As an example, I have this tree/bush in my backyard that has only one time had any sign of bearing fruit. It had only one flower, but I pruned it and fed it, watered it and did everything I could to help it along. I knew if I just waited it would some day produce fruit and since I knew nothing about this particular fruit, all I could do is wait. Yesterday as we were walking through the yard, we noticed a lot of buds like we have never seen before. All of these will turn into flowers, then fruit. I couldn’t believe how many buds it had. Since the harvest isn’t until October, I will continue to wait. I knew that my patience for this plant paid off. This is what it’s like in our Christian life. We just don’t bear fruit over night. We need to be fed the “Word” of God, we need to cultivate that relationship, and with time, God molds us into what He wants us to be if we only let Him. We need to talk to Him and communicate with Him to build a relationship with Him, and over time we grow in Him and have little buds that turn into flowers and eventually bear fruit if we genuinely seek His guidance in every aspect of our lives. It takes a lot of patience, it doesn’t happen over night, but He protects us and takes out the bugs that are harmful if we only let Him. It is only when we totally rely on Him, that we see results.
gagirllive on May 24, 2016 at 10:17 am
Perfect example, Sandy! I love this! Fruit-bearing happens when we ABIDE in Him.
jim spillane on May 24, 2016 at 12:03 pm
gagirllive – ABIDE is an interesting word in the English language. In John 15:5, Christ says “Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit…..” Could it be that abiding in Christ is a higher state of dependence on and fellowship with Him? Does our ability to “abide” produce more of Christ’s power than we might normally get? Does an abiding Christian attain a deeper spirituality than one who does not abide? A dictionary definition of “abide” includes the words “to remain” and “to endure.” As the author C. John Collins points out, “In Isaiah 30:18, the Hebrew is translated into English as ‘blessed are those who wait on Him,’ while the Greek version is rendered ‘blessed are those who abide in Him.'” The nuance of the word abide is uniquely captured in the Greek translation. The apostle John uses the word “abide” many times in his writings and does not suggest that it is optional for followers. As C. John Collins states, ‘genuine believers abide, and false believers do not.” I wonder if he goes a bit too far with that comment? Are they really “false believers”?
gagirllive on May 24, 2016 at 12:45 pm
I’m loving today’s conversation! Jim, you have brought up some very insightful thoughts…and questions. I agree with your understanding of what it means to abide. John 15 is one of my favorite chapters. I imagine Jesus taking the disciples out to the vineyard as He spoke these last words to them. There they could “see” what He was saying about the Father being the Vinedresser, Him being the Vine, and them (and us) being the branches. As you know, there is no life in the branch unless it is vitally attached to the vine. The vine holds everything necessary for the branch to exist and bear fruit. There should be some evidence of “life” if the branch is abiding…remaining attached. Even if it is minimal, there is still life there. In the passage, Jesus says that He “lifts up” (some translations say “takes away”) the branches that have stopped bearing fruit. This effort on His part is a ministry of encouraging the branch to become healthy again so that He (the Vine) can produce fruit in it. It is NOT severing the branch. So, with all of that said (in way too many words 🙂 ), I’m not sure that I can agree with C. John Collins’ statement about “false believers”. At least I don’t believe any of us are in a position to make that determination. God knows all who are truly His. I have known genuine believers (including myself) who have gotten out of step with God and were not bearing fruit. But praise Him for always bringing us back in line…back to a place of fruit-bearing abiding! He disciplines and prunes us back into shape. I suppose one could wonder about true conversion if there was NEVER any fruit…not even minimal. What say ye, friend? 🙂
sandy229 on May 24, 2016 at 1:19 pm
Amen gagirl! I believe that only God knows who is truly His and who isn’t and we have no right to make that determination. I can think of a few times when I wondered if I was barely hanging on, if I would ever get out of the mess I made of my life, but thank God he is so forgiving and gracious to us and always catches us when we fall, and then when we are barely hanging on, He gives us new hope, new determination to keep on going and persevere. I often wondered if I was producing any fruit, but God showed me what He wanted me to know.
sandy229 on May 24, 2016 at 1:20 pm
Wow, I literally got cut off there…..lol
sandy229 on May 26, 2016 at 12:34 am
gagirl, I was just reading this and I wanted to share it . It’s by Oswald Chambers, “Not only is prayer the work, but prayer is the way fruit abides, Our Lord has positioned prayer as the means to fruit-producing and fruit-abiding work. But remember it is prayer based on His agony, not on our agony. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:16).”
Prayer is not only the work and the way fruit abides, but prayer is the battle. “Put on the whole armor of God,…stand,” and then pray.
gagirllive on May 26, 2016 at 4:39 am
Thanks, Sandy! This definitely sheds more light on the matter!
hsnpoor on May 24, 2016 at 11:38 am
Amen, Master Gardner Sandy! I would love to see your garden!
sandy229 on May 24, 2016 at 1:12 pm
hmm, July?
hsnpoor on May 25, 2016 at 8:12 am
For sure, if the Lord says the same! Gotta buy my ticket this week….
sandy229 on May 25, 2016 at 10:29 am
yes, if the Lord says the same….I should really have prayed about this first, also need to talk to my better half. I usually talk to him about things like this, this was very impulsive of me to say that.
sandy229 on May 25, 2016 at 12:20 pm
I think you can still get the early bird price. They’ve extended it on the website.
godlove on May 24, 2016 at 2:26 pm
sandy, I really like the way you linked up your gardening experience of patience to the patience our Creator has with us. And the greatest part of it comes when our Father’s patience with us pays off and we finally begin to mature and see all the different fruits of the Spirit budding in our lives! I’m so grateful to God for His patience with me, and pray that He may help me to be even half as patient as He has been with me. Nice thoughts.
sandy229 on May 24, 2016 at 10:09 am
Thanks Peter for this beautiful picture of the Grand Canyon, we plan to visit there this summer. Thanks for the reminder that we need to be patient, but like Gary stated, when we ask God for patience, He gives it to us….so we need to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead.
Mike Wittmer on May 24, 2016 at 11:55 am
I think patience is one of the most under-rated virtues. We don’t really think about it much unless it’s gone. Then we miss it terribly. Thank God that He is patient!
gagirllive on May 24, 2016 at 12:51 pm
Amen, Mike! And I would add that we don’t think about it much until we realize that we don’t have much of it! How many times AFTER THE FACT have I wished I had been more patient about a thing?
sandy229 on May 24, 2016 at 1:10 pm
Oh yes! My thoughts exactly. How many times have I said, “I should have been more patient”? Sadly too many times, but we learn a lesson from each of these experiences, so that is the good part. Yesterday when I saw that I would finally have that fruit I have wanted for so long was probably one of the only times I can think of right now when I said, I am so glad I was patient…..I don’t say that too often because I don’t think I am patient that often. They say, “good things come to those who wait” Who ever said that anyway? and how do they know? We know from Isaiah 40:31. “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
jef on May 24, 2016 at 4:47 pm
Patience is a virtue that carries alot of weighty wait.
hsnpoor on May 25, 2016 at 8:13 am
Good one!
peter chin on May 26, 2016 at 12:54 am
What a lively and encouraging conversation – please everyone, carry on! 🙂