Patience in Difficult Times
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved…kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another…14 And above all these put on love…” (Col 3:12-14)
If the experience of the coronavirus pandemic has been teaching us anything, it has been teaching us patience. So many things have been put on hold. Plans for vacation or plans for visiting loved ones have been paused. We wait for restrictions to be lifted as we long for society to return to “normal”. Patience is not something that comes easily to us – and for some of us, being patient is a major challenge. When we want something, we want it now. When someone or something irritates us, our reaction is quick. God is entirely different. He is gloriously patient. Numbers 14:18 states, “The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression…” In case we should miss the point, the Scriptures reinforce it again and again. It is God’s character to be patient – to hold back His anger, to hold back His judgment, to bear with His people, to give opportunity for repentance. Psalm 86:15: “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Interestingly, patience is a virtue that has mixed reviews in our world. We appreciate it when people are patient with us. If we get into financial difficulty and the bank shows patience in letting us pay the mortgage, we’re grateful. If we’re late for a big meeting and the boss doesn’t reprimand us, we’re grateful. But when it comes to leaders – to people of position and power – we sometimes view patience as weakness. If there is no direct retaliation to an act of war, the population cry out for action. If the poorly performing employee is not let go, the boss is written off as ineffective. We want our leaders to be strong and decisive, and so we applaud leaders with short fuses. God’s is entirely different. The Bible shows us that God’s patience is not a denial of His power, but rather is an outworking of His power. God shows His power in restraining His anger and holding back His judgment. For example, Nahum 1:-2-3 states that “…The LORD is slow to anger and great in power…His way is in the whirlwind and the storm”.
Why, though, is God so patient with the human race? History paints a picture of human rebellion against God since the beginning of time. In exercising His patience, God gives time for repentance. God tells us that there is a day of judgment set in His calendar, where the whole earth will be brought to account. He has provided a means of safety – a way of salvation – for that day. He has given His Son to die in our place, that our sins might be forgiven, that our debt might be paid. As 2 Peter 3:8-10 explains, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” But God’s patience is not unlimited. Judgment delayed is not judgment forgotten. Have you accepted God’s offer of salvation and shared it with others while there is still time?
God’s perfect patience is a standard for us to emulate. We are to be “imitators of God.” (Ephe. 5:1) But how do we remain patient with others in stressful times like a global pandemic?
It would seem that patience is connected to at least three things: 1) the Holy Spirit, 2) our love for one another, and 3) setting our minds on things above. First, growing in patience is not something that we can do on our own. It is a fruit of the Spirit – a mark of the fact that we belong to our heavenly Father. As Galatians 5:22 states: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Partner with God today and ask for the spiritual fruit of patience in your life’s circumstances. Second, draw upon God’s love to fuel patience with others. Notice that Paul connects patience with love in Ephesians 4:1 “…walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…with patience, bearing with one another in love…” This means that patience requires “bearing with” difficult circumstances and people in love, and not expecting the difficulty to be resolved first. Put simply, patience is lived out precisely in the midst of painful circumstances. When we are tempted to withhold patience from seemingly unloveable people or undesirable situations, recall that God bears patiently with us in all our sin, weakness, and outright rebellion towards Him. As Romans 5:8 explains, “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Third, and last, patience comes more easily to us as we are to set our minds on things above. Calling his readers to faithfulness in the midst of trial, James writes, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (James 5:7) Farmers are people who know something about patience. One cannot rush the harvest; one cannot rush the growth. As Christians, we need to be good at watching and waiting. Our hope and fulfilment are not in the things of this world. We aren’t living for the here and now. While those around us set their hearts on things that can be seen and experienced now, we wait for spiritual things in the future: we wait for the Lord to come, we wait to see His kingdom in its fulness, we wait to be free of sin, we wait for the judgment of the enemies of God, we wait for all the wrong to be set right and—sweetest of all—we wait to see the Lord face to face. Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:20 that “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ”. This truth ought to shape our prayers in difficult situations and stir our hearts with patient love for others.
May our patient God teach us to be a patient people, all for His glory!