Question 1

Is patience really worth working for?

Accepted Answer

Romans 15:5May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.Colossians 1:11We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,Patience leads to harmony with others, endurance to handle difficult circumstances, and an expectant attitude of hope that things will get better. It is built on the foundation of trust in God’s providence and power. It demonstrates a thoughtful and careful attitude toward others’ feelings. Anyone can be patient, but there is a higher level of patience that comes from God through his Holy Spirit’s presence and work in our lives.1 Corinthians 13:4-7Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.Ephesians 4:2Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.Patience is a characteristic of love. The more loving you become, the more you will model the nature of God in your life. God is the perfect example of patience. That patience will be tested and grow under the pressure of relating to other people. Every day we fail to measure up to his perfect standard of patience, yet God is slow to get angry and loves us unconditionally.Proverbs 16:32Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.Hebrews 10:36Patient 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.James 1:2-4Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.Patience is evidence of strong character, forged in the crucible of relationships and challenges. As you pass each test of your faith, you will build a higher degree of patience for when you are tested again.Psalm 5:2Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you.Isaiah 8:17I will wait for the Lord, who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my hope in him.Lamentations 3:24, 26I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” . . . So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.James 5:7-8Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.Patience is an important part of faith and hope. It is a bi-product of reliance on God. The greater your hope, the more you patiently wait, and the more your faith grows.Genesis 29:20-21, 25, 27-28So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days. Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.” . . . But when Jacob woke up in the morning—it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?” . . . “But wait until the bridal week is over; then we’ll give you Rachel, too—provided you promise to work another seven years for me.” So Jacob agreed to work seven more years.Patience is the key to achieving many goals. Achieving goals is rarely done with a quantum leap, but rather by small footsteps.2 Thessalonians 1:4-5We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.Patience is the key to enduring suffering. Suffering is better endured when patiently endured.Colossians 3:12Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.God’s love and work in our daily lives often produces patience. It must be practiced before it becomes our practice.

Question 2

How do I develop more patience?

Accepted Answer

Jeremiah 5:23-24“My people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned me. They do not say from the heart, ‘Let us live in awe of the Lord our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’”James 5:7Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.Whether we are waiting for crops to ripen, a traffic jam to unsnarl, a child to mature, or God to perfect us, we can grow in patience by recognizing that some things take time and only so much can be done to speed them up. A key to understanding God’s will is to understand God’s timing. Failure to develop patience is often evidence of stubbornness and unbelief.Exodus 5:22Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me?”Focusing less on our own agenda and more on God’s agenda for us will provide a “big picture” perspective that will help us grow in patience.Psalm 40:1I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.Prayer is a necessary tool for developing our patience and helping us gain God’s perspective on our situation.Habakkuk 2:3If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.Patience can actually give us an attitude of excited anticipation for each new day. If we know God is going to do what is best for us, then his plan for us will be accomplished on his schedule, not ours. Keeping that in mind, we can actually become excited about waiting for him to act. We can awake each day anticipating the good things he will work out in our lives—just right for the present time.Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.The more we let the Holy Spirit fill and inspire us, the more patient we will become. All fruit takes time to grow and mature, including the fruit of the Holy Spirit.Romans 8:25If we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.Hebrews 11:1-2Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.Patience is produced by the hope a believer has in God’s plans, especially his eternal plans. It is a significant component of faith. When our long-range future is totally secure, we can be more patient with today’s frustrations.Romans 15:4Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.Colossians 1:11We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,James 1:3You know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.2 Peter 1:4-7Because of his [God’s] glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. . . . In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.As we allow God’s power to strengthen us, patience is a by-product that develops. The more we patiently learn to walk with him and wait with him, and the more we appreciate his patient endurance with us, the more we grow in the joy of just being with him instead of always worrying about what will happen next. Patience will help us enjoy our relationship with God right where we are today. It will also transform our relationships with others.Proverbs 14:29People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.Proverbs 19:11Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.1 Thessalonians 5:14Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.2 Timothy 2:24A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.God develops patience in us through our relationships with others. Abrasive relationships teach us to patiently endure. They can also reveal that we lack patience. Even in loving relationships patience is necessary. God is involved in a long-term patience development plan in our lives.1 Samuel 13:11-12Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”Ecclesiastes 7:8Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.Romans 5:3-4We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.Romans 12:12Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.1 Peter 2:19-20For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.God uses life’s circumstances to develop our patience or to reveal how far we still need to grow. We can’t always choose the circumstances that come our way, but we can choose how we will respond to them.

Question 3

What are some of the consequences of impatience?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 16:1-2Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal.Impatience may cause us to rush ahead and take matters into our own hands. At first we may trust that God will handle the situation, but when the answer is slow in coming, we begin to think that God needs some help. Sarai knew that she was to have a child, but God waited twenty-five years to make this promise come true. In the meantime, Sarai took matters into her own hands and created a mess. When we trust God, we need to trust him completely, even if it means having to wait.1 Samuel 13:8-14Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.” “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”Impatience can lead to disobedience, causing you to miss God’s blessings in your life.Numbers 21:4-7Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!” So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.Impatience can lead to complaining, blaming, and bitterness. It leads to God’s punishment because it causes us to sin; it must be resolved by repentance.Exodus 32:1When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”Proverbs 14:29People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.Impatience can lead to poor choices, including giving up on God. It leads to our exchanging trust in God for trust in people or things that become our idols.

Question 4

What happens when I am patient?

Accepted Answer

Isaiah 40:31Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.Waiting reveals our need for God’s strength and gives God the opportunity to exercise his might on our behalf. As an athlete regains strength from sleep and time away from the contest, so we will find strength by abandoning your own efforts and trusting the Lord to work. He will bring us what we need when we need it.Psalm 40:1I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.Delays and difficulties are not signs that God is ignoring us. As we wait for God to work, we can practice being patient. We can have hope and confidence because we know that he hears our prayers in those hard times.Lamentations 3:25The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.Hebrews 10:36Patient 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.Those who give up lose out. They are not necessarily being punished for giving up; they simply are absent and cannot see God in action.2 Peter 1:5-9Make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.Patience is like a chisel, shaping godly character. In Peter’s picture, the marble block is being shaped to include faith, moral excellence, and knowledge of God and his Word. God patiently sculpts us into a person he can use to show his love to everyone we meet.1 Peter 2:19-20God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.When we refuse to take things into our own hands, God takes them into his. God brings justice and vindication to those who wait on him.Habakkuk 2:3If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.God may seem to delay, but he is never late. Our self-centered and time-centered perspective makes us incapable of seeing things from God’s point of view. What he promises will happen according to his perfect timing.

Question 5

How can I be patient in a time of waiting?

Accepted Answer

Matthew 25:14-15, 19-22“The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, . . . After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’”As you wait for God’s direction, practice serving right where you are, because it is through serving God and others that you receive your next assignment. The servant in the parable was praised for working diligently and intelligently while the master was gone, and you can be confident that God wants you to faithfully and wisely serve him right where you are as you await your next instructions from him.

Question 6

What does it mean to “wait on the Lord?”

Accepted Answer

Isaiah 8:17I will wait for the Lord, who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my hope in him.Isaiah 33:2Lord, be merciful to us, for we have waited for you. Be our strong arm each day and our salvation in times of trouble.Isaiah 40:31Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.Psalm 33:20We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.Psalm 130:5I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word.Waiting on the Lord means bringing our timetable into sync with his. We try not to rush ahead of him or linger too far behind him. Waiting on the Lord is relying on him as the source of our daily strength for all situations, realizing our total dependence on him, and maintaining our hope in the promises of his Word.1 Kings 18:43Then he [Elijah] said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” Seven times Elijah told him to go and look.Psalm 27:14Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.Psalm 37:7Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.Psalm 40:1I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.Psalm 62:1, 5I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. . . . Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.Micah 7:7As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.Waiting on the Lord means quieting our hearts in his presence, trusting him, turning to him for help in trouble, and hoping in him. It means setting aside our agendas and timetables for his, even when he doesn’t give us the details.Genesis 8:15-16Then God said to Noah, “Leave the boat, all of you.”Psalm 37:34Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed.Psalm 106:13-14How quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel! In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland.Proverbs 20:22Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.Luke 1:20“But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”John 11:5-7So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”Acts 1:4Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.”Waiting on the Lord means expecting his counsel, his timing, and his settling of injustices even when those responses are delayed, perhaps beyond this life.Isaiah 30:18So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.Remember that waiting goes both ways—God often gives us as much time as we need to realize we need him. He waits for us during our delays and detours. Why wouldn’t we be willing to wait on his timing?Lamentations 3:25The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.God blesses those who wait for him. The waiting can become an opportunity to seek God’s presence in other ways and seek to know him more deeply.

Question 7

Where do I find the resources to be patient?

Accepted Answer

Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.The Holy Spirit produces patience in our lives. As we relax and trust in the Lord through the Holy Spirit, we release our need to control and manipulate people and life circumstances. We can ask the Holy Spirit to generate patience and other qualities in us just as a tree generates fruit—through a season.Colossians 1:11We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.Prayer, our own and the prayers of others for us, help infuse patience into our lives. When we admit our needs through prayer, God begins to meet them. And we can be bold to ask the Holy Spirit to pour patience into the lives of others.Psalm 37:34Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed.Patience also comes from simply trusting God day-by-day. Even when we don’t think we can last for long, God gives us the strength to “travel steadily.” Our commitments to faith and obedience will keep us on God’s path for longer than we thought possible.

Question 8

If God loves me, why do I have to wait patiently for him to act?

Accepted Answer

Daniel 10:12-13Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way.”Daniel prayed expectantly but had to wait because there was spiritual interference. We may not understand why God’s response to our prayers seems delayed, but we can be sure that the Lord will overcome all opposition. He sees the big picture and accomplishes his purposes for us with perfect timing. Remember that from the time we begin to pray, God hears us.Romans 5:3-5We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.This world is God’s waiting room. While we wait, we learn better how to live and trust. We gain composure, strength, humility, and a deepening appreciation for God’s care in our lives.2 Peter 1:5-9Make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.Peter had experience with the process of spiritual growth that God uses with us. Brash and impulsive, Peter had a lot to learn about patience. He saw the value in making every effort based on God’s promises to supply what we need. His key term is “supplement” in the sense of “adding to” or “expanding by.” When we are thinking about patience, it begins to have a serious effect after faith, moral excellence, and knowledge have made an impact on us.