Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. Patience is not just about waiting, it is about attitude when we wait, if we wait but get upset, bitter or angry then we are not patient.
In Galatians 5:22-23, the New Living translation says, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” So patience is among the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Impatience has caused many problems. Exodus 32:1-5. We read. “When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. ‘Come on,’ they said, ‘make us some gods who can lead us. We do not know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’
2 So Aaron said, ‘Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.’
3 All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, ‘O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ”
So because Moses went up to the mountain to intercede for the people and hear from God, they could not wait for him. If you read further in verse 27, the Levites killed 3,000 men that day for their sins in creating and worshiping a false god.
So sometimes God may seem slow and we begin to look for alternatives, however those alternative end up complicating things and destroying us. The bible says in 2 Peter 3:9. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Therefore God has a perfect time for everything and when we rush it we hinder our blessings.
So why should we be patient? We should be patient because it takes faith to have patience and without faith we cannot please God. (Hebrew 11:6.) Hebrew 6:12 says, “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” So you need faith and patience to get whatever God has promised you. Every great person is prepared through patience, you cannot just rush and achieve greatness otherwise you will crash. It also takes self control to be patient and without self control you will easily hurt yourself.
There is suffering in Nigeria, delayed salaries, unemployment, lack of funds, and injustice. You need to repair your generator, car, or house and you cannot get the right people to do it. So handling these problems require patience, otherwise it is easy to despair and get frustrated or depressed. Psalm 30:5 says, “though weeping may tarry in the night Joy comes in the morning.” So we need patience.
Like I said, it is possible to wait without being patient, our state of mind must be righteous, we must be at peace while we wait. Patience does not mean you should be passive. Ruth waited, yet acted faith. In Ruth 3:1-5 it says, “One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, ‘My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for. 2 Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but do not let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.’ 5 ‘I will do whatever you say,’ Ruth answered. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.”
So Ruth was patient, she was a widow and followed her mother in-law back to her country. However, when it was time to act and get married again, she did not just sit back, she acted in faith. So while waiting, know when God wants you to take action, like Ruth He will show you the signs.
Patience is the antidote to anger and fear. Antidote means like cure or solution to something. So when people annoy or upset you, patience keeps you calm and happy, so it overcomes anger. When you think you are running late to marry or get a job or do something important, patience keeps you calm and happy so it overcomes fear. So patience is a powerful tool.
Patience also exposes the true intentions or character of people. People can pretend but they cannot pretend all the time. So someone can approach you and appear to be very kind. However, give it sometime and you will know if that kindness is genuine or not.
So remember, patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. May the Holy Spirit fill you with patience in Jesus name. Have a blessed day.
