PATIENCE - Waiting on the Lord

The Fruit of the Spirit - Part 4

Patience comes from waiting on the Lord. Spiritual patience is not passive or weak; it is an active faith rooted in God's character.

“Wait for and confidently expect the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.” ~Psalm 27:14 AMP

Patience reflects a confident trust in the Lord, His character, His nature, and His ways. This powerful trust dispels fear, despair, and bitterness.

“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” ~Psalm 27:13 NASB

Patiently waiting on the Lord reflects our heart submission to His timing; it is an exercise of our faith and an act of our will.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God, many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.” ~Psalm 40:1-3 NASB

Patience with Others

Patience is our choice to remain calm and hopeful, even in moments of difficulty or delay. In a world that encourages instant gratification and fully venting our emotions on others, spiritual patience displays the fruit of the Spirit of kindness, gentleness, and self-control.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is…patience…” ~Galatians 5:22 WEB

Patience or forbearance means we “bear with others” when they test our limits. The spiritual fruit of patience is extending grace to others when they are struggling and forgiveness when they have wronged us in word or deed.

Prayer

Lord, as we patiently wait upon You, let us not lose heart in doing good, for we know in due time, we will reap if we do not grow weary, and we know that when we hope for what we do not see, we wait eagerly for it with patience. Lord, because a patient person has great understanding, strengthen us to patiently wait on You, and help us to be gracious to others as we patiently walk with them. Amen.¹

References

¹ Galatians 6:9 NASB; Romans 8:25 AMP; Proverbs 14:29:a

Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995), copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

World English Bible (WEB) by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.

Where are you struggling to be patient?

How will you trust God more fully in each area?