Patience
But let patience perfect its work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
- James 1:4
We live in a right-now, hurry-up, immediate culture. If we can’t get it now, we don’t want to have to wait for it. We see this phenomenon everywhere—in same-day delivery from a favorite retailer, drive-through service at the fast food place, and text messaging, which enables us to deliver our message nearly instantaneously to anyone with a cell phone anywhere in the world.
There are times when this cultural expectation carries over into our spiritual lives. We often expect instant gratification from God. We ask Him for something and anticipate His answer before sundown. We petition for a breakthrough in some area of our lives and want it right away, even though it may have been an issue for years. We just know that God will move miraculously in a moment, and we won’t be inconvenienced at all by having to wait for our answer to manifest itself.
But there is a problem—this expectation doesn’t always match up with the real world, and we can often find ourselves disappointed. We need to have patience—the quality of steadfast endurance.
Patience is a fruit of the spirit, according to Galatians 5:22. The quality of patience was deposited in your heart when you accepted Jesus as your Savior. It may need to grow, but it is in there—put there by a gracious God who knew that you would need it in an imperfect world.
The question so many people have goes something like this: “Since God is all-powerful, why can’t He just give me what I need right now, instead of my having to wait for it?”
As with so many things in life, there is no onesize-fits-all answer, but I do have some insight that I believe will help you.
As you know, as believers we are citizens of both heaven and earth. Our need is here on earth, and our answer is in heaven. It is the currency of faith that provides an avenue for our needs to be met by God’s abundant supply. When you pray in faith, you are confident that God has heard and answered. But you can’t see anything happening, and so are tempted to waver in your faith and wonder what went wrong.
Dear Lord, as we rise to meet each new day, please let us be filled with Your spirit. Wherever we go, let us spread love, joy, peace, goodness, and faithfulness. Let us desire to become more like you and to worship you in all we do. Help us desire these things so much more than the sin that entices us. Thank you for always going before us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Further Reading
- James 1:4
- Galatians 5:22
- Proverbs 14:29
