20 Powerful Bible Verses To Help You Be Patient
There is a proverbial saying in Christian families that says: "Patience is a virtue". When typically evoked, this phrase is not attributed to any original speaker, nor is there an explanation as to why patience is a virtue. This colloquialism is often spoken of to encourage someone to wait for a desired result and not try to force a particular event. Note, the sentence does not say: "waiting is a virtue". Rather, there is a distinction between waiting and being patient.
There is speculation about the author of the quote. As is often the case with history and literature, researchers have several suspects including the writer Cato the Elder, Prudentius, and others. While the phrase itself is not biblical, there is biblical truth in the statement. Patience is mentioned as one of the qualities of love in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians.
“Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not arrogant. "(1 Corinthians 13: 4)
With this verse accompanied by the details of the entire chapter, we can deduce that patience is not simply the act of waiting, but waiting without complaining (self-seeking). Hence, patience is actually a virtue and has a biblical meaning. With a clearer understanding of patience, we can begin to search the Bible for examples and how this virtue relates to waiting.
What does the Bible say about patience or waiting in the Lord?
The Bible includes many tales of people waiting for God. These stories range from the XNUMX year journey of the Israelites in the wilderness, to Jesus waiting to be sacrificed on Calvary.
"For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under the sky." (Ecclesiastes 3: 1)
Just like the annual seasons, we have to wait to see some aspects of life. Children are waiting to grow up. Adults wait to grow old. People are waiting to find work or they are waiting to get married. In many cases, the wait is out of our control. And in many cases, waiting is unwanted. A phenomenon of instant gratification plagues the world today, especially American society. Information, online shopping and communications are available at your fingertips. Fortunately, the Bible has already transcended this thinking with the idea of patience.
Since the Bible states that patience is waiting without complaining, the Bible also makes it clear that waiting is difficult. The Book of Psalms provides many passages of complaining to the Lord, praying for a change - turning a dark season into something brighter. As David shows in Psalm 3 as he fled from his son Absalom, he prayed with full confidence that God would deliver him from the hand of the enemy. His writings weren't always that positive. Psalm 13 reflects greater despair, but it still ends on a note of trust in God. Waiting becomes patience when trust is involved.
David used prayer to express his complaints to God, but he never allowed the situation to cause him to lose sight of God. This is critical for Christians to remember. While life will prove very difficult, sometimes enough to cause despair, God provides a temporary solution, prayer. Eventually, it will take care of the rest. When we choose to give God control instead of fighting for ourselves, we begin to mirror Jesus who said, “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
Developing this virtue is not easy, but it is certainly possible. Here are 20 Bible verses to help you be patient.
20 bible verses about patience
“God is not a man, who should lie, nor the son of man, who should repent: he said, and won't he? Or has he spoken and won't do it right? "(Numbers 23:19)
God's word does not present Christians with opinions, but rather the truth. When we consider His truth and all the ways He promises to support Christians, we can abandon all doubt and fear. God doesn't lie. When he promises deliverance, he means just that. When God offers us salvation, we can believe him.
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will rise with wings like eagles; they will run and not tire; they will walk and will not fail. "(Isaiah 40:31)
The advantage of waiting for God to act on our behalf is that it promises renewal. We will not be overwhelmed by our circumstances and will instead become better people in the process.
"Because I believe that the sufferings of this present time are not worth the comparison with the glory that must be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18)
All of our past, present, and future afflictions serve to make us more like Jesus. And no matter how terrible our situations are, the glory that comes next is glory in heaven. There we will no longer have to suffer.
“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, with the soul that seeks him”. (Lamentations 3:25)
God values a person with a patient mindset. Those are the people who hear His word when He commands us to wait.
"When I observe your skies, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have placed in their place, what is a human being who remembers him, a child of man who takes care of him?" (Psalms 8: 3-4)
God took care of the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, the Earth, the animals, the earth and the sea gently. Demonstrate the same intimate care with our lives. God works at His pace, and although we should wait for God, we know He will act.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don't lean on your own intelligence. Recognize him in all your ways, and he will straighten your paths. " (Proverbs 3: 5-6)
Sometimes temptation leads us to want to solve our problems. And sometimes God wants us to exercise agency to improve our lives. However, there are many things in life that we cannot control, and therefore, many times we have to rely on God's conduct rather than our own.
“Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will watch when the wicked will be cut off ”. (Psalm 37:34)
The greatest inheritance that God bestows on His followers is salvation. This is not a promise given to everyone.
"Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him". (Isaiah 64: 4)
God understands us much better than we can understand him. There is no way to predict how He will bless us or not until we receive the blessing itself.
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope”. (Psalms 130: 5)
Waiting is difficult, but God's word has the ability to guarantee peace as we do it.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you" (1 Peter 5: 6)
People who try to manage their lives without God's help do not allow them to offer love, care and wisdom. If we want to receive God's help, we must first humble ourselves.
“So don't be anxious about tomorrow, because tomorrow will be anxious about itself. Enough for the day is his problem. "(Matthew 6:34)
God supports us day after day. While He is responsible for tomorrow, we are responsible for today.
"But if we hope for what we don't see, we wait patiently for it." (Romans 8:25)
Hope requires that we joyfully look to the future for good possibilities. An impatient and doubtful mindset lends itself to negative possibilities.
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer”. (Romans 12:12)
Suffering cannot be avoided in this life for any Christian, but we have the ability to patiently endure our struggles until they pass.
“And now, oh Lord, what am I waiting for? My hope is in you. "(Psalms 39: 7)
Waiting is easy when we know God will support us.
"A quick-tempered person stirs up conflict, but a person slow to anger calms struggles." (Proverbs 15:18)
During conflict, patience helps us to better manage the way we communicate with each other.
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit “. (Ecclesiastes 7: 8)
Patience reflects humility, while a proud spirit reflects arrogance.
“The Lord will fight for you and you must be silent”. (Exodus 14:14)
The knowledge of God that sustains us makes patience even more possible.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)
God is aware of the desires of our heart. He tries to give us the things He likes, even if we have to wait to receive. And we receive only by first aligning ourselves with God.
"Our citizenship is in heaven, and from there we look forward to a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:20)
Salvation is an experience that comes after death, after living a faithful life. We have to wait for such an experience.
"And after you have suffered a little, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will restore you, confirm, strengthen and establish himself." (1 Peter 5:10)
Time works differently for God than it does for us. What we consider a long period of time, God can consider short. However, he understands our pain and will support us if we constantly and patiently seek Him.
Why do Christians need to be patient?
“I have told you these things so that you may have peace in me. You will have suffering in this world. Be brave! I have conquered the world. "(John 16:33)
Jesus told his disciples then and continues to inform believers today through Scripture, in life, we will face difficulties. We cannot choose a life free of conflict, anguish or difficulty. Although we cannot choose whether life includes suffering or not, Jesus encourages a positive mindset. He won the world and created a reality for believers where peace is possible. And although peace in life is ephemeral, peace in heaven is eternal.
As Scripture has informed us, peace is part of a patient mentality. Those who may suffer while waiting for the Lord and trusting in Him will have lives that do not change dramatically in the face of tribulations. Instead, their good and bad seasons of life will not be so drastically different because faith keeps them steady. Patience allows Christians to experience difficult seasons without doubting God. Patience allows Christians to trust God without allowing sin to enter their lives to alleviate suffering. And most importantly, patience allows us to live a life like that of Jesus.
The next time we face difficult circumstances and cry out like the psalmists, we can remember that they too trusted in God. They knew that His deliverance was a guarantee and would come in time. All they had to do and all we have to do is wait.