A woman saw a father shopping with a fussy two-year-old in his grocery cart. “Be patient, Billy,” he whispered. “You can handle this, Billy. It’s okay, Billy.” The woman said to him, “I don’t mean to interrupt your shopping, but I just had to tell you how wonderfully loving and patient you are with little Billy.” The man replied, “Actually, my son’s name is Patrick. My name is Billy.”
Patience is the capacity to accept suffering for a long period of time without getting angry or upset; an old-fashioned term for patience is long-suffering. Most of us admire long-suffering when we see it in other people and we wish that we had more of it in ourselves. It is easy to agree with the old proverb: “Patience is a virtue,” but the problem is that true patience is difficult to develop; it is hard to maintain our composure when things don’t go our way.
Down through the ages many prominent people have reflected on the topic of patience. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” The Puritan poet John Milton moralized, “I will not deny but that the best apology against false accusers is silence and sufferance, and honest deeds set against dishonest words.” The great Russian author Leo Tolstoy, in his epic novel War and Peace, states, “The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.” The always quotable former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher quipped, “I’m extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end.” And for those of you who are not impressed by poets or politicians, hard-rocker Axl Rose opines “Said, woman, take it slow and things will be just fine—All we need is just a little patience. Yeah!!!”
The great nineteenth century New England preacher Phillips Brooks was noted for his poise and quiet manner. At times, however, even he suffered moments of frustration and irritability. One day a friend saw him feverishly pacing the floor like a caged lion. “What’s the trouble, Mr. Brooks?” he asked. “The trouble is that I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t!”
Haven’t we all felt the same way many times? Indeed, patience is a difficult virtue for human beings to attain, but it is one of God’s inherent attributes. We always seem to be in a rush, but God is always patient. Although, like Brooks, we can sometimes be perturbed by God’s patience, we should be deeply grateful for this aspect of God’s character. When we think about our sins and all of the times we have disobeyed, disrespected, and disregarded him in our lives, we should be thankful that he still puts up with us!
Throughout the Bible the Scriptures testify to the fact that God is patient and long-suffering with his people. Today I would like to showcase a few of these passages for you—that you might gain a deeper appreciation of who God is and what he has done for you!
The Biblical Testimony of God’s Patience
The first passage I would like to share with you is Exodus 34:5-7, where God declares his attribute of patience to Moses while he renewed his covenant on Mt. Sinai:
Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”
This passage contains one of the greatest statements of God’s character in the whole canon of Scripture. God uses it here for the first time and then it is repeated eight more times throughout the Bible. Along with God’s attributes of love, compassion, grace, faithfulness, and forgiveness, we find the words “slow to anger” which is a reference to God’s patience or long-suffering. Even after God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, they constantly grumbled and complained against him, but he remained remarkably patient with them.
Have you ever tried being patient with someone who constantly grumbles and complains? Has your long-suffering ever been tested by someone who is ungrateful for what you have done for them? That is exactly what God did with the Israelites and that is what he does for us too. How often does the Lord put up with our whining, bickering, and fussing? Too many times to count! Thank God for his patience with his people!
The second passage I would like to discuss is Nehemiah 9:28-31. In this section, the Jews just returned to Jerusalem after 70 years of exile in Babylon. Nehemiah led the people to rebuild the walls around the city and became their governor. After the work was completed, a group of Levites led the people in a corporate prayer of confession, recalling God’s patience and mercy. Here is part of the prayer:
But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time. You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
This prayer recounts God’s patience with his people before the Babylonian exile. Time after time, the Jews became arrogant, stubborn, stiff-necked, self-sufficient, and disobedient to God’s commands, but God was patient with them for many years. He gave them so many chances to repent from their sin and return to him. He sent them prophets to warn them about what would happen if they did not return to the Lord. After all of this, he would have been justified to either destroy his people or to abandon them forever, but his patience is seen even in his discipline.
For those of you who are parents, this prayer ought to resonate with you. The Jews were just like children who have streaks of independence, arrogance, obstinacy, and sheer disobedience. As parents, do you ever find yourself repeating the same old commands over and over again?—“Pick up your clothes! Put things back where they belong! Finish your homework! Clean up your mess!” It is difficult to be patient with our kids when they continue to do the same old naughty things over and over again, but we do not destroy or abandon those we love!
Likewise, God tells us the same things over and over again, and yet we continue in our disobedience. Thankfully, he does not destroy or abandon those he loves. Like the Jews, sometimes he disciplines us, but even in his discipline, he proves his patience.
The third passage I want to promote is Jeremiah 15:15 where the weeping prophet pleads with God on the basis of his long-suffering to deliver him from his fellow countrymen who were persecuting him because he was preaching an unpopular message about ensuing judgment on the nation. He speaks to God and says, “You understand, O LORD; remember me and care for me. Avenge me on my persecutors. You are long-suffering—do not take me away; think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.”
Jeremiah remembers and reflects on the Lord’s long-suffering to help him with his own long-suffering. Similarly, when we remember and reflect on God’s patience, it helps us to be patient with people, even when they pester or persecute us.
The fourth and final passage I would like to show you is 2 Peter 3:8-9:
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
In this passage, Peter is reminding Christians that many people will scoff at Christ’s promise to return to the earth and bring judgment in the future. People will laugh because life continues as it always has and his promise has not yet been fulfilled. But Peter tells them that God’s timeframe is very different from the human timeframe. Since God is eternal and not bound by time, a day is the same as a thousand years to him.
So, the fact that Christ has not returned yet should not make us think that he is slow in keeping his promise. Rather, we should be thankful that he is patient with us. The longer he delays his return, the more time we have to repent from our sins and gain eternal life. But we also need to remember that God’s patience does not last forever and he will return and execute judgment on all who have not put their trust in him.
Have you repented from your sins and put your faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Do you have family members, friends, and loved ones who are resisting repentance and refusing to take Jesus seriously? God is so patient with us, but let us act before his patience runs out!
Allow me to conclude with a parable: According to a traditional Hebrew story, Abraham was sitting outside his tent one evening when he saw an old man, weary from age and journey, coming toward him. Abraham rushed out, greeted him, and then invited him into his tent. There he washed the old man’s feet and gave him food and drink.
The old man immediately began eating without saying any prayer or blessing. So Abraham asked him, “Don’t you worship God?” The old traveler replied, “I worship fire only and reverence no other god.” When he heard this, Abraham became incensed, grabbed the old man by the shoulders, and threw him out his tent into the cold night air.
When the old man had departed, God called to his friend Abraham and asked where the stranger was. Abraham replied, “I forced him out because he did not worship you.” God answered, “I have suffered him these eighty years although he dishonors me. Could you not endure him one night?”
This little parable teaches us the dual lessons that we should be deeply grateful for God’s patience with us and that we should be patient with others. Let us model our own character and behavior after God’s attribute of long-suffering! And finally, I want to thank you all for your patience while I preached this sermon today!