Patience

Mark Dunagan
01/25/15 - Sunday Evening

Patience

On a recent trip I dropped into a fast food establishment to use the restroom and get a large ice tea before I continued on my journey. As I was waiting to order I observed an older gentlemen complaining about the length of time it was talking to make his latte and he demanded his money back and walked out. Yet in the time it took to get his money back and walk to the car – his latte was probably already cold. I don’t like slow service, but it reminded me that we do live in a very impatient world.

The Lost Art of Waiting

I find it significant that the Bible often commends, recommends or praises waiting. Like many people I have often viewed waiting as a big waste of my time.  Maybe I need to look at it differently:

• “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).
• “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him, do not fret because of him who prospers in his way” (Psalm 37:7).
• “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him” (Psalm 62:5).
• “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits patiently for the precious produce of the soil... You too be patient” (James 5:7-8).

Learning Patience

When Paul said that he had learned to be content in all circumstances in which he found himself (Philippians 4:11), I believe we can say that the same would be true for just about any other virtue. Whether it is contentment, patience, kindness and so on, they all need to be learned. So no one can offer the excuse, “I was not born a naturally patient person”. The truth is that no one was born naturally patient. In all my life I have never seen a naturally patient baby or toddler. In addition, I believe we have all seen people who either have or might be working on the lost art of waiting. Often these are the people who have a book to read while waiting at the airport, at DMV or at the doctor’s office. That is, they have learned to make good use of the waiting time. Now I don’t like waiting in line, but often we need to view such times as opportunities instead of just bad luck. When I am stuck in traffic or sitting in the emergency waiting area, no one is asking me to do anything. It is free time. I can pray (with my eyes open if driving), I can organize the rest of the day or week. I can make a list of goals. I can put together an invitation, sermon or bible study. The truth is that I can always do something very productive when waiting.

The Challenge for Us

Is that we live in a time when we rarely have to wait very long. And allow me to clarify that. We might complain about a delayed flight at the airport, but this is nothing compared to traveling for months to cross the Atlantic in the Mayflower or taking months to cross the plains in a covered wagon and get to the Oregon country. We might complain about being stuck in traffic – yet even on bad traffic days we are often making far more progress across town in a warm comfortable car than people did in times past – with no traffic. Even with all our delays we still don’t have to wait much compared to past generations.

Others Waited Longer

Noah had to wait at least 120 years to see his preaching vindicated. Abraham and Sarah, as well as Zacharias and Elizabeth, waited a long time – a life time to have a son. Moses waited for forty years in the wilderness until God called him, and then spent another forty years leading a murmuring and complaining people. – All the faithful in Old Testament times were waiting for the Messiah to come.

Patience Needs Waiting to Develop

Patience is like a muscle that needs exercise. Therefore, we need a new perspective. Instead of resenting times in which we must wait, we need to realize that such soil can be fertile ground in which to develop patience. So don’t get angry with inconveniences or interruptions in your schedule.

• “We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).
• “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).

Underestimating the Value of Patience

The world often underestimates such things as patience, kindness, and gentleness. To some people these virtues seem weak. The reality is that they are the proof that a person is truly strong. People who are not patient, kind or gentle are the weak people.

• “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city” (Proverbs 16:32).
• “He who hurries his footsteps errs” (Proverbs 19:2). One translation here reads, “Impatience will get you into trouble”.

Medical researchers seem to agree with this last proverb. They have discovered a whole new disease called ‘hurry sickness’. Some say that 90 percent of heart attack victims have this ‘hurried’ type of personality. Habitual impatience can adversely affect us in all sorts of ways. 

• “He who is slow to anger has great understanding (wisdom), but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly” (Proverbs 14:29).

A New Perspective

One difference between a man or woman who is slow to anger and the quick tempered counterpart is that one has learned patience and to see things differently. You see patience is not pretending that something does not bother me. It is not pretending that the traffic isn’t bad or the line isn’t slow. Rather, it is seeing the situation in a different light or seeing the situation in the bigger scheme of things. When I am impatient all that I see is myself. I only see my needs, my desires, my goals, my wants, my schedule, and my inconvenience. The root of impatience is often selfishness. It is easy to forget that what might have delayed us – actually helped someone else – or me in the long run.

• That interruption may have actually resulted in putting together a better presentation, because it gave me more time to think about it.
• That unexpected delay may have prevented me from getting into the traffic accident that I just crept around in my undamaged car.
• That delay enabled me to meet someone and share the gospel with them.
• That delay put me and someone else in a situation in which they were more receptive to a conversation.
• God’s decision to not intervene and give the world another day – resulted in my salvation! 2 Peter 3:15. In other words, “nothing being done about it” or “the same old same old” – resulted in me having the time to hear the gospel and become a Christian.

Respecting God’s Timing

• There are times in the Bible that God purposely delays to bring about a bigger result or make a more dramatic point (John 11:43).
• Observe that God is willing to look or appear to be slow, insensitive, inactive or even non-existent in order to bring about something far greater.
• When God does not seem to be moving as fast as I desire – I need to avoid the temptation of complaining, second guessing His wisdom or opting for a sinful path because I am frustrated. Patience is all about trusting His wisdom and His timing: Psalm 37:7-11

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net