Praying for Patience

I’ve heard you should never pray for patience, because you’ll surely receive the opportunities to have to practice patience! Because Scripture teaches us that God desires for us to be patient people, we know for a fact that He will do whatever it takes to bring it about! I remain inspired by the testimony of Eric Guttensohn, father of Montgomery’s famous Guttensohn quintuplets, in sharing God’s truth about patience from one Scripture to the next. He and his wife, Amy, are living examples of what it means for God to allow patience-developing situations to come into your life! Since trials are inevitable, it seems wise to examine patience from God’s viewpoint, asking Him to prepare and sustain us as we are granted the dubious blessing of learning to cultivate it!

Throughout the Bible, we see wisdom regarding God’s patience with us, our patience with Him, our patience with each other, our patience with situations, and, often the most difficult, our patience with ourselves.

We can observe the illustration of the Chinese bamboo tree, Guttensohn relates, to learn that during the first five years of its life, growers must water and fertilize it regularly. Nothing happens visibly for the first year. Nor the second. Nor the third. Not even during the fourth. Yet, in its fifth year, the Chinese bamboo tree grows 90 feet! Does that mean that nothing happened during years one through four? Not at all. Getting to enjoy the fruit of the efforts of seed planting is not a given privilege, but what a holy calling we have to see that seeds are planted in the first place! Enduring frustrating and challenging circumstances acts as water and fertilizer for our gardens of patience, but patience is not actually the end result! In Romans 5: 3-4, the Apostle Paul writes, “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Learning to develop patience is the tool, the vehicle, to exhibiting godly perseverance, character, and hope.

Patience is not a characteristic that can be developed apart from God, because it is completely contrary to human nature. Because it is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23),it becomes visible when we make the time to live in an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ every moment of every day. Through communion with God in prayer and time spent searching the Bible for His truth and wisdom, we begin to think as God does, and then, when situations to practice patience come our way, we are more able to respond in the way He would wish us to. No, it’s not easy, but with God, all things are possible! (Matthew 19:26).

As we strive to become like our Heavenly Father, who demonstrates infinite patience with us how about some fruit for thought?

Regarding our patience with God, do we allow Him the time He needs to reshape us into children after His own heart? Can we remember times when we were grateful that the answers to prayers we prayed were “Wait” and “No”?

Regarding patience with others, could we imagine God saying, “I have endured that person for 80 years. Can you not endure him for one night?” How many other godly characteristics would be sacrificed in someone if we totally molded him to our own liking?

Regarding patience with situations, could we picture God as the Heavenly Trainer, fitting our bodies–physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually–for ultimate fitness? Opportunities to practice patience in situations are the physical workouts He uses in order to get us into shape. The more we practice patience, the stronger we become at it!

Regarding patience with ourselves, let’s remember, by God’s grace, how far we have come. During “waiting times”, we don’t halt. A watched pot never boils, but how quickly the “ready time” comes when we use the waiting time to cut up vegetables and get everything ready for the pot. When we’re waiting to be used of God, He is busy shaping us into the agents we need to be to accomplish the tasks He’s planned for us, too amazing to imagine.

Are you in a “waiting time” right now? Does God seem silent? Believe me, He cares more than you know! It’s terribly challenging, but we can learn to wait on Him, being still and knowing He is God, certain His ways are perfect for our every need.