Is Patience Gods Way Of Protecting Us?

Being patient is one of the hardest lessons I constantly find myself having to endure on my walk with Christ. In today’s world with any and everything at our fingertips it’s easy to fall into the trap of instant gratification. I’m sure there’s not too many of us out there begging God to teach us how to be more patient. In all honesty, it even scares us a little to ask for patience because we don’t know how long God will make us wait!  

We know patience must be important because it’s one of the fruits of the spirit. But what exactly is patience? According to Oxfords Languages, patience is “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.” When I read that definition I find that those are all qualities that I’m sure most of us would love to possess and it got me to thinking. What if we’ve been viewing patience all wrong? During my daily Bible reading this week God gave me a fresh perspective of what patience is intended for! As I read over this one powerful verse I felt the Lord say to my spirit “Patience is to protect you.” 

The passage where this revelation occurred was in Exodus chapter 23 when God was speaking with Moses about the land he was preparing the Israelites to take. As he was giving instructions God said “But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.” God could have given them the land instantly, however he knew the Israelites were not capable of handling the promise in that moment. The same holds true for us today. When God makes us wait, it can seem unbearable and sometimes even feel unfair! But the truth is, God does not allow what we don’t have the capacity to handle. God sees the destruction down the road that we’d have to face if he gave us everything we wanted without being spiritually mature enough to handle it!

I want to encourage you to hold fast to the promises and vision the Lord has placed in your heart! Take time to reflect on other times in your life when you were in a season of waiting. Now looking back, can you see the benefit of having to wait? Do you believe if God had given you what you wanted in that moment you would’ve been capable of handling whatever you were waiting for? I want to challenge you that whenever you’re in a season of waiting, ask yourself these questions and be honest with yourself. Think of the consequences you’ve faced when taking matters into your own hands and compare it to the joy you felt when the Lord came through and made it happen for you in his timing. I will be challenging myself as well! 

Encouraging Scriptures 

“Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ” John 13:7

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:7

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:36

Written By: Amber Alycee