Patience

James 1:4 NKJV But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

There may never be a more universal trigger word than “patience.” Watch people’s reactions when caught in traffic that’s not moving, stuck at a train crossing when the train is stopped, or walking into a grocery store and finding the checkout line stretching to the back of the store. We hate anything that requires patience. But throughout scripture, it is called out as a key to victorious Christian living.

Patience is more than just waiting for something to happen; it’s about trusting God in the waiting. Patience is not only a necessity in the life of a Christian but also a virtue that leads us to completeness, lacking nothing. When we allow patience to work in us, it perfects us, making us complete in our faith and resilient against the troubles and trials of life. Imagine a life lived with patience, where frustration turns into understanding and hurried decisions transform into thoughtful, Holy Spirit led actions. 

Patience is not something you learn by reading about it or by deciding to be more patient; it is a fruit that occurs naturally when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Webster’s Dictionary defines patience as “endurance without murmuring.” Ouch! Most of us have murmuring and complaining down to a fine art. How many times are we placed in difficult or seemingly impossible situations, or faced with a challenging person, only to grumble, murmur, and complain through the entire ordeal? Missing the opportunity to surrender to God’s timing and purposes, to be salt and light in some special way.

We often define peace as the absence of conflict, strife, or anything that makes us uncomfortable. But the peace Jesus brought to us (John 14:27) is not just about avoiding conflict or shielding ourselves from the world’s constant wars and strife. When we are filled with His peace, patience becomes an easy companion. Patience is waiting with grace and enables us to live in this demanding world and still have love, joy, and peace.  It comes when we have the confidence that God is at work in our lives, is in control, and we can trust Him for everything.

When we refuse patience, we stop trusting God’s timing and believe our own timing is better. It is through patience that we learn self-control, develop endurance, and align ourselves with God’s timing. Isaiah 60:22 promises, “at the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.” The patience God calls us to exercise is not one laced with frustration but rather filled with trust and satisfaction, knowing that His plan is greater than our own understanding. Patience is trusting God’s timing, no matter what.

Patience invites us to slow down, trust in God’s plan, and find peace in the present moment. Patience is not a passive quality but an active pursuit. Take time each day to sit quietly, breathe deeply, and reflect on God’s timing in your life. List situations you find difficult to wait for and pray over them, surrendering them to God and asking for peace. Ask the Lord to show you what being perfect, complete, and lacking in nothing looks like in your life. Ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit and overflow with the Fruit of the Spirit, including patience.

In an age dominated by instant gratification, the call to patience invites us to a deeper level of dependence on God, challenging quick fixes and temporary pleasures, continually surrendering to the Holy Spirit. When patience is cultivated, it transforms our spirit, providing a peace that surpasses all understanding and a powerful testimony of the transforming work of God.

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

Romans 12:12 NIV Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.

1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

Ephesians 4:2 NIV Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Colossians 3:12 NIV Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

James 5:7-8 NIV Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Proverbs 14:29 NIV Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.

Proverbs 15:18 NIV A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.

Proverbs 16:32 NIV Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Psalms 27:14 NLT Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Hebrews 10:36 NLT Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 NLT Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.

James 1:4 AMP Let patience and endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Galatians 5:22-26 NLT But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

Galatians 6:9 NIV Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Matthew 6:34 NIV Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.