“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.”
(Galatians 5:22)
One of the most wonderful gifts a child of God receives at the moment of salvation is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The third person of the Godhead takes up residence in us (1 Cor. 6:19-20), providing both the ability and the power to evidence traits of our Heavenly Father in our own life.
One such trait – that of patience – is specifically mentioned by Paul in Galatians 5:22 as one of the fruits, or evidences, of His Spirit in us. Of course, we know from Scripture that God is eminently patient… “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,” (Ex. 34:6). And through His Spirit’s work of sanctification in us, we are in the process of being conformed to the image of our patient Christ (Rom. 8:29).
Patience in a believer, generally considered, is much more than simply holding your anger in traffic or not lashing out when your teenager comes in late one evening. Rather, it is persisting to do the will of God without complaining, or to willingly submit to the will of God with quietness and cheerfulness. In other words, the fruit of patience is trusting God when our life circumstances are not what we’d prefer them to be.
Isaiah 40:31 states, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength…” Waiting on the Lord is patiently trusting His plan and His timing. We wait before the Lord to gain strength to persist in submitting to a God who is bigger than we are with cheerfulness, in order that we might continue to do His will without complaining.
This quality of patience includes doing as well as waiting. The second half of Isaiah 40:31 says, “They [that wait on the Lord] shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.”
Do you patiently submit to God to work His will and purpose in your life in His own time? Patience is essential if we, as those submitted to the will of God (1 Cor. 3:9), look to Him to work out His plan for us in His time and for His glory.
The reason patience is required in every good work is because there is a difficulty that accompanies every duty before God. And we need patience to perform the duty continually in the practice of His grace. “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” We need patience for every step of the journey, both in the waiting and in the doing.
Patience, as Thomas Goodwin defined, “is a constant, thankful, joyful enduring, with perseverance to the end of a man’s life, all the trials that are grievous, no matter how great, long, difficult and in whatever way they come to pass, as well as mortifying opposing passions, such as fear, grief, care and anxiety, which will arise on such afflictions, in order to submit to God’s will, for God’s glory, and His good pleasure’s sake. In all this, still blessing and sanctifying God in everything, waiting on God, and relieving one’s self by faith in what is to be had in God, and from God, in communion with Him, and from His love, in this life, and in the expectation also of that glory which is the reward after this life ended.”
Spirit-worked patience gives the believer a freedom which holds up mightily under all trials, because it is a self-resignation to the sovereign will and disposal of Almighty God. It causes me to renounce all my selfish interests and concerns, lay aside all my plans, hopes and pleasures at the feet of God, desiring that Christ’s wisdom choose the path He wants me to walk, to live, and if need be, to suffer under His sovereign hand.
- No matter what happens, Lord, let whatever I need be according to Your will. I am persuaded to follow Your mind in all things. Whatever Your will is in my life, I will be content, and I will learn patience. Do You want me to be a leader or live a private life? Do You want me to be settled or be a wanderer? Do You want me to be poor or rich? In every circumstance, I will confess You as my God and my Lord. Teach me patience, and work that in me by the power of Your Spirit.
- If I am to be patient in all things, then I need to learn to imitate Your perfect patience, Lord. That means submitting to Your will and denying myself. Such godly patience must be a work of Your Spirit and Your power, as I am not capable of this kind of patience in and of myself. Work Your patient temperament in me, Lord.
- Lord, I find that my impatience always seems to come from self-love. Do I love myself more than I love You at those times? Am I more concerned with earthly comforts than spiritual ones because they are more pleasant and more tangible? If You were to take all these things away from me, my desire, my hope, is that I would be patient, like Job, under such difficult circumstances. Help me adore You no matter what circumstances come my way.
- I would hope that everything You ordain for me I am thankful for, Lord. I think that You are “specially” taking an interest in me when You bless me. And when I experience hardship, I think You have forgotten me. From a human perspective, I believe that good things are a blessing, and bad things are a curse. But this is not necessarily true. Rather, patience should teach me to believe that in every affliction, whatever it is, You particularly regard my concerns, and look out for me, because You love me in Christ and order all things for my good, even things I don’t necessarily like or enjoy.
Further References for Gal. 5:22
Eph. 5:9; Col. 3:12; Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 13:4; 2 Cor. 6:6
