{"id":30325,"date":"2014-02-13T03:00:03","date_gmt":"2014-02-13T11:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.olivetree.com\/?p=30325"},"modified":"2019-02-13T08:45:58","modified_gmt":"2019-02-13T16:45:58","slug":"where-is-patience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/where-is-patience\/","title":{"rendered":"Where is Patience?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience<\/strong>, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.\u201d<\/p>\n

-Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If we\u2019re honest<\/strong>, most of us would admit that one of our least favorite words is patience<\/em>. In a \u2018me first\u2019 western culture\u00a0we can often get what we want, when we want it. Whether it\u2019s Burger King saying, \u201cHave it your way\u201d or the Staples slogan, \u201cThat was easy,\u201d our natural desire to be selfish only seems to be magnified by the messages marketed to us. So, it shouldn\u2019t be a surprise that the message of patience is nearly impossible to find in our culture. For those who have placed their faith in Jesus, however, patience is the fruit of God\u2019s Spirit at work within us.<\/p>\n

PATIENCE IN THE BIBLE<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s easy to read about the people in the Bible that God used in amazing ways and yet forget about where God showed up in the timeline of their lives. The theme of patience and endurance is one we see throughout scripture.<\/p>\n

Abraham and his wife Sarah weren\u2019t young when they finally had the child God had promised.<\/p>\n

Joseph spent years in jail on wrong accusations before he became a powerful leader, fulfilling the dreams God had given him.<\/p>\n

Moses lived a nondescript life before God called him to lead his people out of Egypt.<\/p>\n

The Israelites had to spend 40 years in the desert before God released them into the Promised Land. Even Jesus didn\u2019t start his public ministry until he was 30 years old.<\/p>\n

HAVING PATIENCE<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019ve ever been in a place in your spiritual growth<\/strong> or your ministry where you feel that nothing is happening, you can take great comfort that you\u2019re in good company. God is always concerned more about our depth of character than our width of ministry. \u00a0So how do you know if God is working in your life during a season where nothing seems to be happening? Jesus answers that question in the \u2018Parable of the Sower<\/a>\u2019 in Luke 8.<\/p>\n

As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience\u201d <\/em>(Luke 8:15, ESV).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you\u2019ve placed your faith in Jesus, hear God\u2019s Word, and are holding it fast in your heart, then be on the lookout for seasons of patience and embrace them. As you do, be reminded that you\u2019re walking the same spiritual road as Abraham and Sarah, Joseph, and Moses. And \u00a0God used these individuals to change whole cultures.<\/p>\n

PATIENCE & GOD’S TIMING<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When my son was three, he and I were hanging out at home and lunch time was fast approaching. He was getting increasingly irritable and fussy, and I hadn\u2019t quite learned how important it was to feed kids on time. He then asked me when lunch time was, and I told him I\u2019d start making it in five minutes. Instead of saying, \u201cSounds good Dad,\u201d my three-year-old son (to my ignorant surprise) proceeded to throw a tantrum that made me wonder if he had heard me say five hours instead of five minutes. As I quickly made him a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich two thoughts hit me.<\/p>\n

First, my son didn\u2019t have a concept of time.<\/em> As an adult, waiting five\u00a0 minutes is nothing. For a preschooler with no concept of time, any amount of waiting is too long, whether it\u2019s five minutes or five days.<\/p>\n

Second, I am just like my son<\/em>. Sure, I may not throw a fit if I have to wait five minutes but if something doesn\u2019t happen on my timeline my response isn\u2019t much more mature than his. How many times have I approached God and said, \u201cHere\u2019s what I need and when I need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big problem here is that if God doesn\u2019t answer my prayers on my timeline then I assume he\u2019s just not going to answer them. But this isn\u2019t necessarily true. While a young child has no concept of time, we as adults also don\u2019t understand God\u2019s concept of time because it\u2019s eternal. He sees our needs \u00a0but through the perspective of eternity. Though we don\u2019t have an eternal viewpoint, God\u2019s eternal viewpoint should give us comfort that God provides our needs and our answers at just the right time.<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 brother James says this about patience and God\u2019s timing:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.<\/em> You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.\u201d<\/em> (James 5:7-8, ESV).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As sons and daughters of a perfect and loving God, being patient is evidence of our trust and faith in our heavenly Father. As we pray and make requests of our Father we can be confident that his timing is the best timing.<\/p>\n

Take time to reflect on both answered and unanswered prayers. When and how did God answer those prayers?
\nFor those prayers that have yet to be answered, ask God for his perspective and trust in his perfect timing.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.\u201d -Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV) If we\u2019re honest, most of us would admit that one of our least favorite words is patience. In a \u2018me first\u2019 western culture\u00a0we can often get what we want,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":43343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sb_show_comment_boards":false,"_cf_multicollab_revision_bundle":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5341],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-30325","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-topical"},"yoast_head":"\nWhere is Patience? - Olive Tree Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What does the Bible say about patience? 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