Please, be patient.
Is that okay?

Meaningless Use of Words⤒🔗

Of course, that is not okay. And of all things, do not think that you are a patient person when you have sat for one hour in some waiting-room. Or if you found yourself stuck in traffic without grumbling.

All of that has as little to do with being patient as when one of my children says: “I am hungry”. My children are not hungry, they do not know what hunger is, at best they once-in-a-while have an appetite to eat something. But hunger? That is something entirely different.

And so, being patient is something quite different from what you can show in just a short time. And yet, this (“be patient”) is used all the time. When you phone a helpdesk and you are on-hold for twenty minutes, you will hear that message forty times.

In this way “patience” becomes a meaningless word. Is that why we find less patience nowadays?

Faith and Patience←⤒🔗

It is worth the effort to think about this as patience is so important in our walk with the LORD. We already read that Abraham had waited patiently (Heb. 6:15). That was not just incidental, but it was structural. Faith and patience go hand in hand, this is how what was promised is being received.

It has all to do with trust that the LORD will do what he has promised. Also, in times when you cannot see how…, or worse, when it appears that the opposite is unfolding.

James (in James 5:7) encourages us to be patient as a farmer who has sown the seeds and must now give all things over to God. In the meantime, various types of weather come down on his land, and yet, all he can do is wait. Wait for God, until God gives him the harvest in the field. This can be exciting or worrisome. And at the same time, when you know that the soil has been seeded, you do not just walk away from your land.

Love and Patience←⤒🔗

Why is patience so essential for our relationship with God? Is that perhaps to tease us? Of course not! To continuously test us? That is part of it, yes. But the real answer will be: because God himself is so patient. This is how he acts, but especially: this is how he is. It is noticeable that patience is part of his being, just as the LORD himself summarizes his wonderful Name: “the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex. 4:6). The New Bible Translation translates “slow to anger” with “being patient”, a good rendering.

The secret is: the LORD takes the time for us. With all the love and patience, he makes hHimself known. This can never be done at once; God is just too big for that. And he must also repeat it often, because since our Fall into sin we are un-teachable and stubborn. The LORD gives years and whole lifetimes to allow us to discover who he is. This is a discovery not only with the brain, but especially of the heart. This leads to man again finding his Creator, with stumbling and standing, and that man learns to love and to trust him.

And not only man as a person, but also as leader in creation. The earth will again rejoice before the LORD, the streams will sing, and the mountains will clap their hands. That will take a while yet, but in the meantime, our God is already busy with this for centuries! To achieve his goal, he takes time. Why? To share that goal in the end with a large nation, not a handful of chosen ones, but a multitude which cannot be counted. Great is the LORD! Not only in his love and mercy, also in his patience. Like a father who teaches his child to walk, and subsequently teaches him what is important in this life, and shows him the world. That does not all happen in just one day. He is also patient when he sees how much resistance we possess. He does not break our will, but he renews our will through his Holy Spirit. To break it could be done quickly, but to renew our will takes hours, days, months, years. Nothing is too much for him, also not if measured in time, to give us true life.

Do Not Walk Away←⤒🔗

Looking at like this, “please, be patient” is really nonsense. A “contradictio in terminis”. Because God deals with us in endless patience, we from our side must learn to be patient. We do not receive everything at once. This is not how God works, it would also be impossible. But at the same time, he is busy giving us this, in the most beautiful way. So that at one point we will be able to understand this, not reluctantly, but whole-heartedly.

True patience can be described as: “waiting for God”; trusting in him. To wait in a waiting room only takes an hour, and yet, you do not walk away. Why not? Because you know that your turn will come, sooner or later. This is then surely how you can wait for God, without walking away from him. It is remarkable how the Spirit teaches us to sing of this. About this waiting…, whatever happens in the meantime. Psalm 27: “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in. Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” We sing of this in Psalm 130:3 (Book of Praise):

O God of my salvation, my soul, with longing stirred,
waits for your consolation, hopes in your steadfast word.
More keenly I am yearning for you, O faithful One,
than watchers for the morning await the break of dawn.

To Turn Left or to Turn Right←⤒🔗

From Job we know the special saying: “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10). It may seem that Job said this quite easily, but to think that would be a mistake. For Job’s suffering was great. When his friends visit him, they do not speak for seven days. Because words fall short. The evil was very evil indeed.

But how could Job then eventually utter these words? How could he profess God’s hand to be in the evil that befell him?

James explains that Job was patient (James 5:7-11). Job could wait for God.

He knew that God’s purpose had not changed. At some point in time, he would see God (Job 19:26, 27). Then good and evil become nothing more than two different paths, which God may travel, while his goal remains the same.

It happens regularly in daily life, that you encounter a “detour” sign while driving in a car. The road is broken up, you cannot go straight through, but you must detour. You can turn left, or you can turn right, but eventually you will reach your destination. In the same manner, God can take a left turn in your life, or he can turn right, while his goal (with you) does not change. For he is a faithful God.

With that we do not say that turning left or right makes no difference at all. It can make a huge difference in your life! And yet, we are merely speaking about a road. True enough. What God promises, does not change. You can wait for it.

How Do They Talk About You?←⤒🔗

It should be clear, that the most difficult times in your life are also the most important.

Imagine that Job had only experienced prosperity; then most likely he would not have appeared in the Bible. Then we would not talk about him anymore. It could be the same with you. As long as things go well, everything is fairly normal, also when you thank God for all you receive, and you read your Bible. All of that can be fairly inconspicuous. Until God goes around the corner with you.

Suddenly everything looks different. The nice things are gone, the pleasant things are over. And then? Then it becomes particularly important for God what you then say! If you are trusting him or not. If you are waiting for him or not. And you can count on it, that people will talk about this. Which message will they carry? How will they later remember you? Which image of God do you leave behind? It is important to realize that these difficult times can be so valuable for other people.

True Love Waits←⤒🔗

In 1 Corinthians 13:4 we read in the midst of an ode to love, that “Love is patient.” She exhibits patience.

This is how our God is. His patience comes forth from his endless love. With that love he touches us.

It is the way to learn (again) to be patient. For true patience is sometimes hard to find. Is it not often a meaningless word? While waiting gets harder and harder, for people want to have immediately what their heart desires.

True love waits. This is what young people say when they make the choice not to sleep together before they get married. When they see each other as being owned by Jesus Christ, they can be patient till the day that they receive each other from God as husband and wife.

Patience is not a loose product. When love grows cold, patience also disappears. People become short-tempered, greedy, a slave of their own desires.

But love opens up your heart, for God and for one another. You come to see who God is, and what he is doing. You see others in their own significance. The world opens up for you because heaven opens up for you. Big values come into your life, they become precious to you, the beginning of eternal life is happening in time.

Patience is rooted in thankfulness, in amazement, in union from the heart, in surrender. This way you remain rich, always.