A Life Worth Living

What comes to mind when you think of the word patience? Do you think of slowly and painstakingly working to finish something ie a project or a puzzle. Do you think of your worst moment of impatience and how you could have acted differently. Do you think of a person who is going through a really tough time and yet they seem to still have their joy and a good perspective. For most of us, the word patience, does not remind us of ourselves. We are, admittedly, aware of our need. We wish we had more of it.

Our every day encounters with impatience work only to magnify our need. Just think for a minute of your last drive home. Any amount of slowness will result in a prompt honk from someone, or you might be the person honking. If you are not a honker, do you find yourself talking to the other driver and saying things like, “come on, drive faster , what was that?”

Our restlessness grows our longing for this virtue of patience even when we don’t know it.

So what is patience? According to Webster it’s the capacity, habit or fact of being patient. Another dictionary defines it as the ability to wait or continue to do something despite difficulties or to suffer without complaining or being annoyed. While these definitions are good, there is yet a more excellent way of defining Patience. The Bible gives us a glimpse of what perfect patience looks like in the nature and character of God.

God is patient. First He is patient with his people exodus 34:6 “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” This patience expresses itself in Gods slowness to get angry. In the book of Exodus, I look at how God dealt patiently with Moses’ fears and insecurities by reassuring him multiple times. When Moses asks who will I say sent me? God gives him an answer. When Moses expresses his fears that he will not be believed, God gives him a sign to prove his message.When he pours out his own insecurities about his stammer and lack of eloquence , God sends his brother to accompany him and speak for him. Now if you get frustrated with Moses from reading the account between him and God, I don’t blame you.

God is patient with sinners. While we read the story of the 10 plagues that devastated Egypt and wiped out pharaoh and his army, I see God’s display of patience. Think of having to prove yourself to an enemy over and over again. You can end their existence in an instant in order to get what you want but rather, you choose to respond to their stubbornness. To be fair pharaoh had no reference point for who God was, but God was God. He did not need pharaoh to say yes. He could’ve gotten his way by ending pharaoh’s life. Yet God displays his patience even with Pharaoh.

Do you wonder like me why doesn’t God send a thunderbolt from heaven to strike all the people that profane his name or persecute Christians ? Better still why doesn’t He come back right now and end all the suffering and evil in the world ? 2nd Peter 3:9 tells us that The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for our sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

We learn most about God’s patience when we see him deal with sinners.

In Exodus 34 after God declares He is slow to anger, Moses’ immediate response in the next verse is to plead God’s forgiveness on behalf of stubborn Israel. Moses knew the people were stubborn. God knew it, yet Moses pleads for God to choose them as His special possession and that is precisely what God does. God chose a people whom he would always have to be patient with. A people who would, in their relationship with him, demonstrate to themselves and to us today, just how patient God is.

God has been with me. He has been patient when I doubt Him, He has been patient when I persist in areas of immaturity, He has been patient with me in dealing with my insecurities. He has been patient with me in the work of sanctification. He has been patient with me when I mess up as a mum and wife. God has been patient. I would have given up on me but God hasn’t. God is Patient!

My boys’ response to what they thought it took to be patient, was ‘practice, going to a monk temple and meditating forever … and God.’ I loved the third answer because it truly takes the work of God through His spirit in us to cultivate this virtue. We need Gods help.

Take some time to pray that God will help your efforts to grow in this virtue this week. See you next week.