MORE PATIENCE

What an impatient world we live in! We want everything and we want it now! And if it is delayed for any reason…

What makes us so impatient? Are we so used to getting things "on demand" that we never experience waiting anymore- and is it possible to learn patience without ever waiting?

Most of us are aware our impatience is a problem. It wrecks our peace of mind and strains our relationships. It can even result in tragedy- road rage, shootings over a cheeseburger or financial ruin because we have to have that huge house or flashy car right now and can't wait until we can really afford them.

There is another casualty of our impatience- we miss a lot of good human interaction because we are in such a big hurry- looking at the future and totally missing the present. And on top of all that, doesn't life go by fast enough already without us speeding it up working for the weekend and wishing for next year?

This kind of impatience is bad, it displeases God and hurts us. Thank God He is willing to forgive us for the sake of His Son Jesus Christ.

But there is a kind of impatience that isn't bad- and actually pleases God and benefits us. It is when we look forward to God's promises and eagerly desire their fulfillment, especially when we are anxious for Jesus' return.

That's the kind of impatience Jesus knew. In Luke 12 He told His followers: ⁴⁹"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!"

Jesus was eager to get on with His business. He was anxious to destroy the devil's work completely, to remove sin and every source of suffering from His creation and restore us to perfection and eternal life. But it wasn't time yet. First He had to provide a way for us to escape that fire, He had to undergo the baptism of the cross where He would suffer and die to remove from us the punishment for our sins. Even the time waiting for His execution was a test for His patience "How distressed I am until it is completed!"

Hebrews 5 shows us how Jesus learned patience and obedience through His suffering. "⁷During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered ⁹and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him" (Hebrews 5:7-9)

Paul describes how suffering produces patience in us in Romans 5:3-5, "³Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

The key to patience is knowing and trusting what God has told us- He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8), but when the time is right He will bring better times and relief from our suffering. He makes all things work out for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). And when Jesus returns He will bring an end to all our sufferings, restore our bodies to the perfection He originally planned for them and remove from us all hurtful thoughts and desires.

That is the hope Paul speaks of in Romans 8:25. If we hope for something God has promised we know it will certainly happen. And the certainty of that promise makes us patient because we know we will eventually enjoy that perfect life for which we hope so eagerly today.