Biblical Patience

The concept of waiting on something is easy to understand by the world's standards, but what exactly does that encompass by biblical standards. Can we truly ever be waiting on God? Because when I break the definition of waiting down historically, I see a picture of impatience, where someone is not doing what I think they should fast enough. The sovereignty of God defeats the ability to ever, actually be waiting on Him.

The biblical standard of waiting is the aligning of our hearts with God's will. If we are truly trusting in the faithfulness of Jesus and His timing, it would be sinful think He wasn't moving or answering as fast as we would like. It would be sinful to think we could possibly understand the depth of God's mind or His reasoning behind things.  (Romans 11:33-36)

The Bible talks about waiting on the Lord throughout the old and new testaments, so I am not saying that waiting itself is unholy, rather the condition of our hearts in the midst of waiting is the concern. Contentment in Jesus is the true definition of waiting. Paul nails it on the head in Phil 4:12-13, He knew that contentment wasn't circumstantial. He knew how to get along in the humblest of times and also in prosperity because He had Jesus who strengthens us in all hardships, persecutions, trials, successes, and achievements. Jesus whose comfort is not affected by our circumstance.

Impatience devalues the whole concept of waiting.

I am wanting us to equate waiting not with the impatient tapping of our toes but rather being so in love with Jesus and what he has done that waiting is not waiting at all but rather a saturation of complete adoration for our Savior and absolute trust in His ability to fulfill promises in His timing.

 I want to battle impatience.

We can see an example of what not to do by looking at what happened to Israel when they acted impatiently and turned to Egypt for help instead of waiting on God. (Isaiah 30:1-5)

God's promises us that faithfulness and waiting IN HIM  results in:

Isaiah 49:23,

Those who wait for me will not be put to shame.

And then Isaiah 64:4,

No eye has seen a God besides thee, who works for those who wait for him.

And finally Isaiah 40:31

Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

So you make war with the unbelief of impatience by using the promises of God to check your heart that God's timing and God's wisdom and God's sovereignty are going to take any frustrating, seemingly impenetrable, unproductive situation and make something eternally valuable out of it.


We wait because we love and trust Him and know without a shadow of a doubt that His ways are infallible.