Patiently Waiting

Patience is a virtue which can make it easy for us to make decisions. Having patience means having tolerance and peace about something. It’s a mindset of waiting that understands letting go. Patience that endures is one of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit of God, which we receive as we mature in Christ Jesus (See Galatians 5:22–23). We manifest the fruit of the Spirit in our lives by working out our character flaws and behaviors. We must absorb Scripture, and grow an intimate relationship with God.

When we are new Believers, we have less patience for God, for ourselves, and for others. We are quicker to act and react with a wider range of emotions when we are new to our salvation. The Bible tells us to grow from drinking milk like a baby to eating solid food like an adult (See 1 Corinthians 3:2). We are called to change and grow which means we are to make some of our own decisions. We can’t wait on God for everything. We do this with our children, we allow them to make decisions and reap the consequences, good or bad. God does the same thing with us.

Trusting God

God knows what decisions we will make before we do. It’s important to stay close and connected to God when we are making life-changing decisions. If God is quiet in responding to our prayers for help, it can be that He already told us and we didn’t like the answer. Sometimes we don’t “hear” Him so we keep asking hoping for Him to change His mind. God will also be quiet when He is challenging us to be mature, be responsible and accountable for the decisions we make. Ultimately, we know we must trust God even though He’s quiet. God will not only make a way of escape, but He will use whatever happens for our good (See 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Romans 8:28 respectively).

Patience means we must have faith in and trust in God. We must leave doubt, fear and other insecurities behind by laying them down at the feet of Jesus. God has a perfect will and timing for everything we set out to do and we must hear from Him before making any moves that are life-altering. God trusts us as we grow to make more and more of our own decisions. When we keep God in the loop, we can have confidence that we are doing the right thing for our lives, even if it doesn’t seem that way.

Impacting Ourselves & Others

We must have patience for ourselves and others. We are often our own worst enemies because we can get in the Lord’s way. We try to control, manipulate, run from, and dodge the challenges we face. We blame God and others for things that go wrong. We worry and stress distractedly keeping our eyes on the problem rather than Jesus. We all do these things as a part of the human condition, as part of our fleshly desires.

Patience has no room for our flesh. Our flesh makes assumptions and walks before God. Our flesh wants to control the outcome, the relationship, and the people involved. One thing we must remember is that we are a new creation when we become born again in Jesus Christ (See 2 Corinthians 5:17). We can let go of the old flesh that has been conquered through Jesus. That means maturing, being responsible and accountable for our actions, reactions, and decisions.

But there is hope. James 1:2–8 says, “My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up in you the power of endurance. And then as your endurance grows even stronger, it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.”

So, lift-up your heads and smile knowing you are not alone, patience is possible, because Jesus loves you.