[Don’t miss the giveaway at the end!]
Has God ever told you to be patient?
It’s not the words we usually want to hear.
Patience means you need to wait.
I’m not a fan of waiting anymore than any of you reading this. It’s just not in our nature! None of us want to be told to wait. We want the answer, the breakthrough, the dream NOW! Right?
Me too my friends.
Me too.
But the other day, God dropped a really sweet lesson in my heart about the word patience. It came during a prayer with one of my dear friends who’ve I prayed with for over fifteen years. She knows me well, but she also knows Jesus and his kindness like no other.
A Friend’s Prayer
Her voice has blessed my ear and my heart every week for fifteen years.
Some years we’ve talked more often than others, years when we desperately needed someone to hold our heart and carry us to the Father when we could not carry ourselves.
Our voices have gently held the other through death of loved ones, relationships, and dreams. But we’ve also laughed and encouraged, and most of all prayed. After all the sharing is done to catch each other up, we pray.
And though the conversations fall sweet and helpful, the prayer time always releases the truth we need to hear.
As she prayed for me the other day, she hesitated and a nervous giggle escaped.
“Oh,” she said, “Um . . . you aren’t going to like the word that keeps coming to my mind as I’m praying for you.”
“What is it?” I couldn’t resist. If God is giving my prayer buddy a “word” it really doesn’t matter if I like it or not, I want to KNOW.
“Well . . . ” she hesitated. “”It’s the word patience.”
A New Perspective on Patience
Now normally when I hear that word, I react like everyone else. I’m not a fan. Patience and wait are brother and sister in my book, and nobody likes to WAIT!
But this is the cool thing I experience about words from God received during prayer; they do not burden, but bring some sort of freedom or peace and new understanding.
And that is what happened to me when my friend told me that God was telling me to be patient.
“I like it!” I responded, much to her surprise.
For the first time in my life the word patience grew wings. Rather than immediately thinking of having to wait, I felt hope.
You see, if someone tells you to be patient, that means whatever you are waiting for will come. The word wait doesn’t do that for me, but the word patience does.
“I feel like He’s given me a kiss and a promise with that word,” I told the ear on the other end of the cell phone. I could feel her relief and her smile.
Patience
Here’s our English definition:
Patience: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.“you can find bargains if you have the patience to sift through the dross” (Google definition)
- Acceptance
- Delay
- Finding treasures in the dross.
Reading Plan
Pour your coffee, grab a journal and Bible, and let the Lord love on you this week with these verses about patience. I’m actually pretty excited about this topic. You can join me Thursday night at 7:20 PM ET in my living room as I teach via Facebook Live or you can watch later on my You Tube channel where it’s posted after the live broadcast. Put on your stretchy pants and pour some decaf or chamomile tea and let’s study together!
Sneak Peek of Scriptures and Prompts to enrich your time with God: Get the Printable
Proverbs 19:11: A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.
- How has the wisdom you’ve gained from past experiences helped grow patience during tough times? List times when God finally answered your prayer or came through for you. Does this give you patience for today?
Romans 2:4: Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
- Does it help to know that God is patient with us? How does this affect your view of God?
Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
- God gives all good things. Have you experienced a time when you had out of your ordinary patience?
Colossians 3:12: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
- How do we do this? (Hint: read the verse above.)
Get the Printable!
2 Timothy 4:2: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
- Who we should we be patient with according to this verse? Is there anyone you are trying to teach?
James 4:7: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (Hmmmm…not sure how this one got in the reading plan. It says nothing about patience except maybe it does . . . ) I’m trusting somebody needed this verse this week!
- How can patience fit into this scripture?
2 Peter 3:15: Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. (LOVE THIS!)
- What does the Lord’s patience mean? Take a deep breath. Write down what this means about our God.
Extra Help with the Patience Pursuit
Download a free printable of these scriptures and extra questions/prompts to help you with your time with the Lord.
Please remember, the Lord loves you. He wants the very best for you.
[bctt tweet=”The instruction from the Lord to be patient comes with a kiss and a promise. ” username=”wordsbyandylee”]
Why We Struggle
James Spiegel writes about patience and why it’s so hard in his article called The Virtue of Patience.
Why is patience toward God so difficult? The explanation boils down to, again, our tendency to see things only from our own point of view. Further reasons compound the difficulty of waiting upon God. For one thing, patience with God involves faith, and to exercise faith is to surrender final control of one’s life. To lack faith is to give in to one’s desire for control. So our patience with God will only be as strong as our ability to overcome this.”
It takes faith. But it also takes trust that God loves you and is working out all things for good for those who love him. Just work on loving him more, my friends. The more we love him, patience will come with grace and peace as we trust him. And in the midst of the waiting, he may be changing us as Stormie Omartian wrote in her article, The Power of Patience.
“The truth is, we can’t have patience without the waiting. But just because we’re waiting doesn’t necessarily mean we have patience. It’s how we wait in marriage that’s most important. Do we wait with a good attitude?
Comment to Win!
What are you waiting for? How are you waiting? Leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway of Elizabeth Thompson’s book, When God Says “Wait”: navigating life’s detours and delays without losing your faith, your friends, or your mind.
I love Elizabeth! I think you’ll love this book. And if you are struggling with “waiting” in your marriage, I highly recommend Stormie Omatian’s book,The Power of a Praying Wife. She has also writtenThe Power of a Praying Husband.I haven’t read that one, but I have a feeling it’s very helpful too.
Digging Deep to Live Fully Patiently . . . :),
I am in the middle of a patience lesson, and am being stretched to my absolute limit, yet i know that i know God is God in the light just as he is God in the dark, and his promises are more sure than the air we breath. God has taken me to a level of understanding that cannot be obtained any other way than to be led to it by our lord Jesus and the Holy Spirits guidance. Friends we are being taught what heaven is and what we will be experiencing for eternity in our relationship with our creator. It is not what we know, and it’s totally against what we have learned while in this world. It’s a beautiful thing when we first accept Jesus as our lord and savior, but that is only the first step in a life long journey for all of us. God is in no rush to speed through lessons that make us the holy beings he first created, so get used to being patient. Also, please know that exercise is supposed to become more difficult, or there is no growth. If we expect to grow in our relationship with our God, then the lessons will become more intense as God shows us more and more of who he is and what he’s about. It’s not easy, and we will have to become adept at doing stuff we’ve never done, and living life like we never have before, while we trust our God to take us through lesson after lesson, until he calls us home to heaven with him. And my dear friends, patience is the key to success. we can’t get too far ahead or too far behind our creator as he’s teaching us what we need to learn. There is a pace to our growing relationship with God and it’s slow, steady and for certain. I know God will provide for us, because for the past few years, in my life, he has. I know God is a healer, because i’ve been sick and he’s brought me back to health. I know God is love, because he’s the only one who’s stuck with me during the good, bad, and downright ugly of my life. I know that i know, because God has brought me through my personalized lessons, which he will do for anyone who lets him. Yet, all this only happens if we learn how to be patient, and let God be God, for us, through us , and in us. May God richly bless you and yours.
Amen! Thanks for sharing!
[…] would’ve upset me, but when she told me, Holy Spirit placed those words in my heart as a promise. It was a kiss and a promise for me because whenever I’ve told my children to be patient, what they were waiting for was on the […]
Andy,
I’m glad that Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit because there are many circumstances in life that require more than I could ever muster in the flesh.
Years ago my ex wife falsely accused me of threatening to kidnap our sons who were ages 4 & 7 at the time. There was never any evidence of that claim. But our female judge was so biased against men that she kept a PPO against me for almost 5 years until a Guardian Ad Litem testified that my ex was a severe alienator.
But by that time the damage had already been done. My sons had been told that I abandoned them and wanted nothing to do with them. They believe that lie to this day. They are ages 30 & 32 and refuse to speak with me because they believe the lies they were told. And all of this transpired while the judge’s rhetoric was that she was doing “what was in the best interest of the children”.
I am waiting on The Lord to restore our relationship and redeem what the enemy has stolen but I would not be able to leave this pain and loss in His hands without His spirit giving me the patience and peace to do so.
My wife and I started a ministry called Keeping Families Connected to help families with troubled marriages to either save the marriage, or go through a divorce with the least amount of cost, conflict and damage to their families. What satan meant for evil, God will use for good.
I am so sorry this has happened. He is faithful. Your ministry sound amazing. I will be praying one day your relationships with your sons will be restored. Thanks for sharing.
[…] few years ago as a friend prayed for me she heard God say, “Be patient.” She dreaded telling me those words, but when she did, I (surprisingly) was elated. We were both a […]
My story is way too long to put into words. However just a bit about the word patients. My 2 adult children have been estranged off and on for over a decade. This stems from Parental Alienation of an ex-wife who’s hate has been ongoing for 25+ years. I have tried everything humanly possible to try and have a Godly relationship with both of them. My daughter has 3 of my granddaughters my son has a daughter I’ve never been allowed to see. They use their children as pawns to hurt or make you feel unwanted. I have asked them many times what I need do to make this better. I have written 2 letters to my ex-wife asking her to intervene. Only to have my children call and tell me to stop blaming their mother. My ex would show them the letters which was written as an olive branch for she and I to start getting along and maybe the children will see me differently. I am always met with confusing answers for the reason of not sharing their lives and my granddaughters with me. I do know that their mother could have stopped this years ago with co-parenting. Prayers and commitment to reading the Bible daily has brought a sort of solitude. But the word PATIENCE has been spoken over and over to me by my Savior Jesus Christ. I can feel him working to help guide me and knowing that he will rectify this whole situation. So, until His will is done. I will be PATIENT! This suffering and loneliness have gotten somewhat better. I now feel He is guarding me from the disrespectful ways and words. If you took the time to read my post hopefully it can be of some help to be PATIENT and wait until the time is right. I also believe there are no coincident. Everything happens for a reason!
Hi Joe, I’m so sorry for all of the hurt you have endured with your family. A prayer I like to pray over messy hurt like this is for God to redeem it and restore the years the enemy has stolen. Keep digging into His Word. Keep worshipping and doing what is bringing you peace and joy and hold onto the promise of patience. He is faithful. Thanks for sharing. You will be in my prayers. -Andy
Thank you for the Prayers and kind words.
I want to share 😊 hope u understand my bad English.
4 march 2021 i dreamed pick up a man with my Car n want to go somewhere. along the way he also drove because the car had a left and right steering. when it was almost there, there was a closed gate. when I thought to find another way and drive back, the man beside me said “be patient” and the car slowly go forward to the front of the gate. only that 1 word he said. currently I am waiting for my partner to return, his name is Athan Permana Sembiring. I know he loves me but with God’s will and unexpected we separated because now I realize we are both immature, and athan said this is the time to get to know ourself and focus on ourself first. he asked for 1 year maybe less maybe more. Please pray that I will be patient waiting and that athan will return. Just like Father told me to be patient and let Him do the rest
What a beautiful story! I will pray for you to be patient and trust the Father has the best plans for you. Thank you for sharing! Be encouraged. You are loved very much. -Andy
If it is Gods will it. It will be done for u in Jesus name
Amen! God bless you my friend!
Thanks Andy! Am a single mum o two boys. God told me to be patient. I have been trying but it ain’t an easy thing. Especially since I don’t know what exactly to be patient for. I was praying for a lot of things, you see, including marriage, a better job, guidance on parenting, a home of my own, etc. N the message was an open one. “Be patient”. Am glad I landed on your article. It has filled me with renewed hope and energy.
God bless you!
Hi Sarah! I’m so glad you found the article! I will be praying for you. He is so faithful. Keep thanking Him for all He is doing and all you have. Blessings! ~Andy
Life does not always make sense. There are times when life would feel like nothing but confusing, overwhelming, or pointless. Sometimes, all of the senselessness in the world can even make you question the very essence of life. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why does it seem like so many prayers go unanswered? – these are commonly the kinds of questions that might come into your mind whenever you feel as if life no longer makes sense. Indeed, when you constantly wallow in confusion and chaos, it becomes easy to question everything about life, including the existence of God Himself.
If you want to know what God wants to when life dosen`t make sense, visit my blog here: http://www.gregoryfetherson7.com/blog and hope everyone is enligtened.
Thanks.
Thanks Greg. It sounds like we are on the same page.
As people become older, they tend to form more and more questions in their minds – “What do I want to do with my life?”, “What are my long-term goals?”, and “Where is my life heading to?” These questions usually come to mind whenever a person is dealing with a life crisis. They can cause a great amount of anxiety, fear, and stress, especially when one is completely clueless about what the future holds for him or her.
[…] Take courage. Discouragement eats away at our courage. Wait on God. If things aren’t turning out the way you dreamed or hope, wait on Him. That involves trusting […]
[…] would’ve upset me, but when she told me, Holy Spirit placed them in my heart as a promise. It was a kiss and a promise for me because whenever I’ve told my children to be patient, what they were waiting for was on the […]
Sis Andy Thank You for a powerful message that I needed to hear on When God says be Patience reassuring to know It’s Coming Hallelujah.
i have been patiencely waiting on finances and a place to live. i,m a caretaker for both parent,s 91. struggling with a whole lot of health issues. and patiencely waiting for justice from my boyfriends old job, he was lied on and let go. and a better place for him to live family sister and neice take advatange of him real bad. we have to trust , beleive and have faith that god will come through on his own times table not ours.
[…] The Winner of the give away from last week’s post on patience! […]
I am soaking up this lesson on patience. As my husband walked away from the Lord 13 years ago, I wait. As he’s been out of work for over 3 months, we wait. Trusting in God’s will sounds easy when we know in our heart that is what is best, but OH, THE WAITING! A friend of mine loves the saying “God is good, even in the hallway”. Thank you for leading us in this lesson, Andy!
Wow Stephanie! You’ve got some really important things to wait on.. I love your friend’s saying. That is awesome! You are entered in the giveaway for the book. God’s faithful. He’s working. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Andy,
I appreciate your message, much needed. It seems God is doing something in me, my life with trusting God and patience. After graduating from LU earning a medical office degree in Dec 2017 I was so excited to use all knowledge I learned working, enjoying, and be a champion for Christ and pay off large student loan. It’s been 7 months and still no job. May have put in 60 applications; so struggling to stay positive. God helped me succeed in my classes for a reason so I know He has a purpose & plan for me in his time. Prayers appreciated!
God bless,
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie! I’ll be praying for you as you wait on that job. He is faithful.. And He never wastes anything. Thanks for joining us! You are entered.
I am waiting for God to let me know if moving to a new home is what we should be doing. It seems to make the most sense but I am waiting for His blessing.
Oh Ellen! Are you moving? I hope the new home is here. Praying for you! You are entered!
Thanks for you words this week. Praying for you as you continue your new adventure teaching our youth.
I covet your prayers! Thank you Dena! You are entered.
As I have grown in my faith and my skin, it has been a little easier to wait. Waiting has never been easy for me and I become unsettled when I have to. I always have to be moving, doing something.
A few years ago, my husband lost his job (at age 59) and we had to start over, we were horrified! I was a stay-at-home mom for way too many years. (25+ yrs with 3 kids-6 years appart) I decided to go back to school so that I would be able to get a job for more than minimum wage. I chose an associates in Graphic & Web design, which took me 5 years to accomplish along with working part time. I finished May 2017 at age 59. A year later, I am still trying to find my place and waiting on God. I have given up trying on my own and know that eventually God will wake me up.
Waiting, Jane
Oh Jane! Thanks for sharing! I will be praying for you. God does not waste anything. He will use it! You’re entered. :)
I liked your new perspective on patience. I’ve been experiencing hope as well. Such a difference. God bless you as you teach today!
Thanks Diana! You are such a blessing. I’m excited about the hope you’ve been experiencing too. Thanks for stopping by! You’re entered. :)
Patience is difficult for most people. I am no different. Thank you Andy for all of your insight and teaching. Love, Roberta
It’s not easy for any of us, is it? Thanks for stopping by Roberta! I hope this encouraged you. You’re entered!
Yes waiting isn’t always easy. The enemy comes to steal the Word, so the Bible says: having done all to stand, stand. We inherit the promises of God through faith AND patience. Holding onto the promise that I will see my marriage restored❤️
Oh Michelle! Yes!! I will be praying for you and your marriage. You’re entered.
I find that God gives us plenty to do while we wait. He is the giver of good gifts so we can be expectant and looking forward in times of waiting for something that He makes a good path through the days and nights. We don’t have to be bitter about waiting, but we can exhibit patience and have time to enjoy all the little gifts He gives along the way to whatever bigger thing we hope for in the long run. We should not waste the opportunity of the wait as the evil one would have us to do.
Amen! Thanks for sharing your wisdom! You’re entered.
My husband and I are waiting to buy a home. We’ve been looking for about 18 months and it has been discouraging. But, I see God’s hand in all of it and have great peace that there is a reason why a home is not happening for us yet.
That is so exciting, Jamie! I know God has just the right house and neighbors! Thanks for sharing. You are entered!
Wish I would have heard this message a year and a half ago. “It’s coming”.
Keep trusting, Laura! You’re entered!
Waiting is what I have to do as the land dispute with the neighbor who has stolen 3200 as feet of our land and maligned me on the street and around town will take 3 years for a trial date in land court. Waiting is so hard . Pray please
Praying for you Mary! Trust His goodness. You’re entered. :)
Thanks Sandy! Thanks for stopping by. So glad th S Word resonates with you too. Yay God!