A Test of Patience

This life we live offers many challenges. Our faith, our hope, and our understanding is often challenged and without proper guidance and direction, those characteristics can lose their spiritual “footing” in our lives. In thinking this over, I’ve realized something… The things that are often testing our hope, faith, and understanding, seem to have a common theme. They are all a test of patience. Scriptures about patience can be found all throughout the Bible and it’s obvious that it is a key function of our spiritual lives. Without patience we are unwise, we try to “make things happen”, and we react to situations immediately based on our own emotions. Many times we even try to circumvent the processes that the Lord has us going through all due to our own impatience. Scripture can give us peace  (see the blog we have on scriptures about peace) about so many things and having knowledge of scripture on patience and God’s timing, like most scripture, is a huge help in our walk as believers. 

So, without further ado, here is a list of 7 amazing scriptures about patience that will set you up for success and understanding in the days to come.

Scriptures About Patience

1.  Psalm 40:1 (ASV) – 

“I waited patiently for Jehovah, And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: Many shall see it, and fear, And shall trust in Jehovah. Blessed is the man that maketh Jehovah his trust, And respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.”

I love the Psalms and this passage is no exception. The way this is phrased gives so much hope and peace in my life. When we wait patiently on the Lord, he listens and inclines to us. He pulls us out of the darkness and hopelessness we are in and always exchanges it out with a blessing. He is a kind and merciful Father that honors patience!

2.  Proverbs 15:18 (ASV) – 

“A wrathful man stirreth up contention, but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.”

Anger is a strong emotion, most of us go through life feeling a whole lot of it, while others try to avoid anger altogether. The Lord says in the scriptures to “be angry, but do not sin,” in paraphrased terms. I think this verse helps to back that idea up. When we are patient, and slow to anger, not being quick to judge and being filled with anger, it actually diffuses strife and conflict. With patience, anger doesn’t have to be avoided or a force controlling in our lives. Patience allows us to be in control of our emotions and therefore the Lord blesses us. Think about just how often we “lose our cool” over seemingly meaningless things that happen to us. Being behind slow car on our way to work, when we turn on the news, when we’re offended by a family member or friend. There is always an option to lean into that anger and let it dictate our mental, spiritual, and physical health in a negative, but when we do the opposite, it builds us up and eliminates conflict.

3.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ASV) – 

“Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

I know, I know… I’m slightly breaking the rules here as most people attribute this verse with “bible verses about love”, (see our article on 10 of our favorites songs about love). However, as we can see, love has many attributes that make it the most powerful force of all time. Love itself is patient, it endures through thick and thin. It brings hope, belief, and endurance into our lives. Without patience, we truly don’t have love. If you’re wondering when you’re going to meet the person to become your husband or wife, or if you want to know how to wait patiently on God for marriage, I’d highly recommend making this verse an everyday mantra to remind yourself what the love you’re looking for truly is. It is patient…

4. Romans 12:12 (ASV) – 

“…rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing steadfastly in prayer…”

Here at MediaShout, we have the honor of being one of the leading worship presentation software providers in the entire world. We’ve reached a huge number of churches in our time of being a worship software company, and throughout that time, we’ve heard and seen it all. As the coronavirus shut everything down last year, many churches were relying on streaming through their worship software in order to even stay connected to their church family. We heard time and time again how reliant the church became on God to provide. While many churches were forced to wait for the Lord to do something supernatural in their churches, we saw the power of prayer, patience, and hope firsthand. Hearing the stories about what God will do when we are in tribulation and in hard situations is such a blessing. Romans 12:12 is a perfect example of what God has to say about patience.

5. 2 Peter 3:9 (ASV) – 

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”

We’ve talked a lot about how we as followers of Christ need to integrate patience into our lives, but I love this perspective even more. The Lord himself is a patient and loving Father. He is not lazy when it comes to holding up his promises. He does not sit idly hoping to watch us fail. He is filled with endurance and strength in the things he has said he would do in our lives and wishes only the best for us and for our lives. It’s time to start living out of that belief rather than the common belief that God is too busy or isn’t concerned with our lives. 

6. Proverbs 14:29 (ASV) –

“He that is slow to anger is of great understanding; But he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.”

It should be obvious by now that God is invested in our emotions and in our wisdom. He, like any good father, wants his children to be set up for success. While sometimes these verses seem strict or harsh, the Lord has the best in mind for us. He simply shows us here that when we are patient with others and with situations, we gain wisdom and understanding. Those who choose the opposite, often make foolish decisions. I don’t know about you, but I certainly want to keep this mindset and scripture on patience close to my heart moving forward in life.

7. Colossians 3:12 (ASV) – 

“Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering;”

Just as we have been mentioning throughout this article, patience is a key pillar of our faith. With patience, we put on the identity of God’s chosen, set apart, and loved children. Without patience, our identity is challenged, and we tend to stray further and further away from God’s plan and desire for our life. This is a challenging thing to do. To stay patient when you’re late for work and are behind the slowest Honda Civic of all time is a truly challenging thing. However, when we choose patience, we build our character and solidify our identity in Christ himself.

Patience is a Virtue

If you get anything out of this blog, I hope that it is clearly evident that the Lord is passionate about patience. He is a God of patience himself. He waits for us, gives us second, third, and infinite chances to turn to him even when we often do the opposite. The Lord is asking us to do the same with ourselves, with his timing, with our questions, our marriages, etc. Let patience be built up in you. It’s hard to do at times, but with the Lord on your side, you’ll be growing in this every single day. I hope these scriptures about patience are exactly what you needed to see today! 

Do you have a story about a time the Lord made you wait for something that was for your benefit although you didn’t recognize it like that while you were in the moment? Let us know in the comments below!