The Art of Patience

“And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise.” Hebrews 6:15

I am not one of those who gripe about how terrible “this generation” is. You will rarely hear me grouse about today’s society and pine for the good old days. I am not unaware of the deep ungodliness of our own times, but, any student of history will be quick to acknowledge that all eras have had their atrocities.

You will not hear me wishing we could live again in the 50s or 60s, as if they were the golden era and our present days are iron and clay. Yes, more people attended church, called themselves “Christian”, and married before having babies (or doing the deed that leads to babies.) I think we forget that if someone did have a child out of wedlock they were usually rushed out of town to live with a relative. I think we forget that it was just fine to consider blacks lower than those with fine white skin. Those were the times when people who disagreed with mainline thinking were branded Communists and blacklisted, either officially or unspoken.

So, with that bit of a preamble, let me share one of the downfalls I do believe trips up our present day thinking. We have lost the art of patience. Having immediate access to endless pages of information just by typing the right word into Google, we think we are experts on everything. With any entertainment instantly ready on our smart phones, tablets and laptops, we hardly have to leave home for all the entertainment we desire. We want the best, we want it all, and we want it now. Not only have we forgotten how to wait, but we rarely consider patience a virtue.

I hate waiting. I’ll admit it. I love the access I have to information. I am an information junkie. Even as a child and young teen I would spend hours reading the encyclopedia, browsing through the latest Guinness Book of World Records or thumbing Ripley’s Believe it Or Not. I still enjoy simple trivia on my favorite subjects: rock music, American theater, and popular science.

If I can get it shipped overnight, I’ll pay the extra ten dollars. Waiting is not in my blood; patience is not part of my essential makeup.

God and I have gone round and round about this, and He always wins. If I can get Amazon to ship the next book of Mandolin tunes to me overnight, why can’t He answer my simple prayers the first go around at it? He knows I’m not asking the hard stuff. As much as I would like the secrets to winning my entire community for Christ or how to make a church grow from 40 to 4,000 in a community of 1500, I rarely stumble over those speculations.

No, what I want to know is why I’m not any more trusting today, after knowing Christ for over 40 years. Why do the same traps catch me up, the same tones of voice raise the inner walls of defense? Why do I still find prayer tedious when I know I love Him, and would honestly enjoy fellowship with Him that feels like both my best friend at coffee and the Almighty God who causes me to fall on my face in wonder?

Not that I haven’t made progress. Abraham waited. God promised that he and Sarah would have a son. Years and years went by, Abraham grew old and they both were impatient along the way. Sarah insisted they try to conceive a son using her handmaid as a surrogate. Sure enough, she got pregnant, and God promised to bless the young child and his mother. But Hagar’s son Ishmael did not fulfill the promise.

More waiting. More patience. The fact that Abraham is applauded for being so patient actually helps me. He was patient; so patient that he decided God wasn’t taking care of things fast enough. Taking control of the situation, Abraham messed up the plan a bit. But God still says “Abraham waited patiently.”

I think I understand a little of it now. Abraham showed his patience by continuing to trust God, even though he had tried to force God’s hand and produce the promise on his own. That helps and encourages me. When I am struggling, so impatient, so uncertain that God is doing much of anything in me at all, if I simply continue in the direction of trust, God sees that as patience.

I still would like to drive up to God’s fast-food window, order my Spirit-Filled Deluxe with a side of Miracles and a Good Fruit smoothie. The thing is, though I say “Thanks” to the person who takes my order, gives me my change or hands me the burger through the window, I have no connection with them at all. But, even then, you get what you pay for. If I want the fine cuisine that takes care and patience to prepare, I need to be willing to wait more than a couple of minutes.

Father, help me learn the discipline of waiting. Forgive when I forget the cycles of life, that the seed planted today does not spring to full maturity tomorrow. Help me to let go of my desire for control and simply wait in expectation for Your promises.