Lamentations 3:25 – The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
In the times we live, the characteristic of patience is missing in many lives. From a young age the media, shows, advertisements, movies, and schools teach us the opposite.
If you want it “go and get it.”
If you are hungry, you can go and get fast food in minutes.
If you want a car, bike, or any other thing, again “go and get it.”
If you can’t afford it, do not worry, get a loan or credit card! You’ll pay it off eventually, but the main concept in all of this is to get it NOW.
We are no longer taught to learn patience but rather get everything right at that moment, based on our feelings, emotions, or even hunger, and we are deceived many times because of what we are taught, especially in this fast-paced life. We no longer wait for the right moment, rather, we must get it right when we want it. This causes stress, frustration, debt, impatience, restlessness, and anxiety in our lives.
Lamentation 3 says, “the Lord is good unto them that wait on Him, for the soul that seeks Him.” If you and I call ourselves Christians, then we should wait on the Lord in all. I know for some this may be an inconvenience or just not what you have done until now. Some might think this is childish. In reality, if the Word of God tells us to do so, then we must obey it. If the Lord is good to the ones that wait, should we not wait?
Patience Grows in a Child of God
James 1:3-4 – Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Romans 5:3 – And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Isaiah 60:22 – A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.
We know for a fact that waiting does try our faith and patience, in some cases. But even so, we must wait. James 1 tells us that we know the trying of our faith works to bring patience; in other words, the trial or tribulation will grow our patience to another level if we allow it. And if we do not allow – patience to have her perfect work done – this will cause us to want more and lead us to hinder the work, if we are not patient.
When we understand this, it helps guide our life in the proper way, to wait on the Lord God. No matter what situation you find yourself in, when waiting, the impossible will become possible with God’s power; Isaiah 60 says that a little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong nation for the Lord will hasten it/make haste in His time. This means that God will work in His perfect timing for every testing, tribulation, or trial. And the outcome will be great, just as one will be thousand or the small one a strong nation.
When waiting on the Lord you will see the hand of God at work, greater and stronger and more clear than ever before in your life. The question will be then, will you have the patience? If not, ask God for the strength to apply this more in your life.
Brother And Sister Patience
Ephesians 4:2 – With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.
Patience will help us have peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ as well as with friends and coworkers. In Ephesians 4, it says that with humility and humbleness and long suffering that we should bear one another in love.
This requires much patience with all. There are times of anger, frustration or when others are rude and disrespectful in words and actions towards us. But when we have love in our life it will activate patience in us so that we don’t repay evil with evil butoverturn evil with good.
Patience will allow us to have true peace and understanding and the respect of our fellow brothers and sisters. We must work on this everyday of our life. If we don’t the opposite can happen as we will talk below.
Understanding True Patience
Hebrews 6:12 – That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Proverbs 15:18 – A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.
Ecclesiasties 7:9 – Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
There are times that many say, “well, I am waiting on the Lord,” but they do nothing to receive what they are waiting on. Hebrews 6:12 tells us that we should not be lazy but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
This tells us that even when we are waiting don’t be lazy in waiting for the response. Don’t say, “I have a question to ask of the Lord,” but not pick up the phone to call the Lord to receive the answer. When we have a question, let’s pick up the phone, dial the number (through the Holy Spirit) and wait for God to pick up the phone before we ask him, then He can give us a response. This shows an active waiting in faith.
An active faith in patience teaches us that we wait in His Word while meditating, we wait in prayer, we wait in fasting until we receive a response. This is what a child of God does and this type of faith and patience will inherit the promises, and get a response from our Lord. So let’s step forward in true patience, of faith in the Lord, and not faith that expects God to do it all.
Let us not be a wrathful man this will only cause headaches and tribulation in your life instead let us be slow to anger for this will make peace in your life. For if you become hasty or quick in your spirit towards anger Eccllesaties tells us that this anger that is quick lies in the heart of fools.
Waiting On God’s Time: King Saul
1 Samuel 13:8-14 – And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. 10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. 11 And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; 12 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. 13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. 14.But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.
Here we have King Saul of Israel, one that did not have patience in waiting on the Prophet of God to come and fulfill what God needed. Instead, Saul out of haste and impatience, called for a burnt offering to be made. In fact, Saul in verses 11-12 says he forced himself to make a burnt offering because Samuel didn’t come in the time that pleased him. Samuel’s response was that he did a foolish thing, because he did not keep the command of God and because of this the kingdom that God was going to establish forever with him would no longer be and a new man would be chosen, one after God’s own heart and he would be king.
Saul went from an everlasting kingdom of true blessing with God, to longer being included in the line of kingship because he did not wait on the Lord God.
Waiting on God’s Time: The Prodigal Son
Luke 15: 11-24 – And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
We have another passage here about the prodigal son. This guy that had all he needed and wanted, but he did not realize it. Instead, he asked for all of his inheritance from his father out of impatience and unwillingness to wait to receive when it was the right time. However, his father fulfilled his wishes and gave him what was his before, it was his time to receive it. And before he knew it, he went through all his inheritance, ending up with the pigs, watching them eat and wanting their food. Eventually, when he came to his senses, he came back to his father’s house, to ask to be a servant, for even they were in a better place then he was.
Not having patience on the proper time to receive his inheritance he lost all of his inheritance and went though many unnecessary tribulations and hardships in his life. Which if he waited he would have never gone through. Let us not be hasty and quick to what we want, let us wait on the Lord our God for He knows the perfect time that we need to receive a gift, answer, healing, comfort and much more.
Patience For Christ
James 5:7-8 – Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
Let us work on true patience, if we do not, we may end up not having the patience we need for the coming of the Lord. In James it says, “Be patient unto the coming of the Lord.” Just as a farmer waits for the precious fruits of the earth and waits long for them until he receives the early and later rain. Let you and I do the same; in patience establishing our hearts for the Lord’s coming as well as for when He answers, in all of our trials and tests that we go through, for our God will never forsake us.
As sons and daughters of the living God let us be true ambassadors of Christ, showing others that we will wait patiently on our Lord in all trials, tests, tribulations, and persecutions.
May God Bless you, and help you, in waiting patiently for Him always.