Patience - A Godly Virtue

I remember my mother teaching me that God had three answers to prayer. Yes. No. And wait. We all like hearing "Yes." We can handle hearing "No." But "Wait" is the one of the most dreaded words in the English language - especially for kids (or anxious adults)...

And yet, we have maxims such as "The journey is more enjoyable than the destination" and "Anticipation is the purest form of pleasure." Even "To give is better that to receive" falls in the same category because in giving something we are often expecting something in return. And the wait is supposed to be worth it. If "patience is a virtue" why doesn't it come more naturally? When I am told to "just, be patient" I often jokingly say, "I'm not a doctor, I don't need patients!"

The virtue of patience, when developed, can benefit us greatly. Having the ability to delay gratification is one of the first things that babies need to be taught. We continue learning it for the rest of our lives. If we don’t learn to press pause on the urgent things in life we will never have room for the important things to play out. And in accomplishing these important things lies our truest and most joyful success.

If we are truly created in the character image of our Heavenly Father, then it makes sense that his virtues should still reside in us, no matter how small the residue of his presence is in our life. If we are to become more like him we must study his character more carefully. In the area of patience, there is no greater illustration that our God. Upon the very inception of sin he had the plan of salvation worked out. As he walked in the garden, escorting his wayward children to Eden's exit he explained the plan to them. He even included Satan in the conversation – giving the very first prophecy in Human history. “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). Once they had passed from the Garden into the World, together they built an altar and the first sacrifice was made – to symbolise the death of Jesus on a rugged cross as the blood payment for our sins. And then God waited. And waited. And…

Four thousand years later, a little boy was born in Bethlehem. Right on schedule. How painful it must have been to watch that many generations of sin. How heart-breaking it must have been for the Father to watch so many of his children die without accepting the gift he would offer. If anyone ever had the right to say, “I hate waiting” it was God. Finally, Jesus laid down on a Roman torture device and was lifted up - willingly he gave his all for us all. He died. He returned to life. He left Earth and returned to Heaven. And the wait began again. “I am coming soon.” Soon? In the eternal scheme of things, yes. In the heart of the anxious, awaiting his return, no. Only the Father knows the day and the hour, the rest of us wait in anxious longing. And wait. And…

We have been given a mission to keep us busy while we wait. In fact our success in that mission – to make disciples, baptise them and teach them everything Jesus taught us – is of paramount importance. The message must go from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, into all of the earth and then… only then – when every ear has heard the life saving message of salvation in Jesus – Jesus will return. So as we publicly proclaim, as we globally glorify, as we personally personify… He waits. And waits. And…

Patiently…

He waits.