Navigating Seasons of Patience

We live in a society that allows us to have our needs met instantly. This can be seen in forms of credit cards, fast food chains, offering different rates of high speed internet and expediting online purchases. Although society has made it convenient for us, we can bring the same mentality towards God’s timing in our lives and get frustrated when things don’t happen quickly. We can forget that in times of waiting it gives us the ability to grow the spiritual fruit of patience.

In times of waiting, we can be tempted to take matters into our own hands. After Samuel anointed Saul as Israelite’s king, he gave him specific instructions, “Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me and wait for me there seven days. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. When I arrive, I will give you further instructions” (1 Samuel 10:8). On the seventh day while Saul was waiting, he grew impatient. He doubted that Samuel would show up and decided to sacrifice the burnt offerings himself. By taking action instead of waiting, Saul suffered severe consequences, “You have disobeyed the command of the LORD your God. Had you obeyed, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your dynasty must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart” (1 Samuel 13:13-14). When we grow impatient in the waiting, we can make reckless decisions that seem beneficial to us in the short term, but are not the best for us long term.

When prophetic words are spoken over our lives, it requires God to take us through a process of refinement before the words come to pass in our lives. During this process it allows God to test, refine and strengthen our character and relationship with him. Joseph was a man of great destiny. At the age of 17, God showed Joseph his destiny in a dream. During Joseph’s journey, he experienced the betrayal of his brothers, was sold into slavery and thrown into jail under false accusations. At the age of 30, Joseph stepped into his calling and became the overseer of the Egyptians. During his time as the overseer, Joseph came face to face with the brothers that betrayed him. Joseph had the power to seek revenge on his brothers for selling him into slavery but chose forgiveness. Joseph was able to choose forgiveness because during the process it developed in Joseph an understanding and trust that, “And we know that in all things God work together for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purposes” (Romans 8:28). Joseph declared his understanding of this when he said “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, to judge and punish you? As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me into the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people”. (Genesis 50:19-20) Many times we grow impatient and want to skip the trials God requires us to go through because it challenges us to trust God. When we are patient and enduring in the

process, God is able to develop a deep resolve within us that can withstand all the trials of life.

Delays in our spiritual life can make us feel frustrated. We can see delays as obstacles instead of seeing them as hidden blessings from God. When God led the Israelites out of Egypt, God decided to take the Israelites on a longer way to get to their destination. This was done because God was concerned that “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt”. (Exodus 13:17) What seemed like delay to the Israelites was God’s way to show he cared for their well-being. When faced with delays, we can feel discouraged and forget that God prioritizes what is beneficial to us over convenience. We can trust that the God that says “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb” (Jeremiah 1:4) does not use obstacles to hinder our progress. Rather, the God that formed us always knows the best time to establish things in our lives.

The Bible tells us that, “to every thing there is a season, and a time to every

purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). During times we are called to wait, it can be a weary process. We are presented with the choice to continue to trust God or allow impatience to speak louder in our lives. Though God’s timing is not always as quick as we wish, we can trust that in every moment our Father knows “the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). It is during these times that our trust, faith and patience have the best shot at developing deep roots that give us the strength to face and triumph over all things.

In Christ's love,

Athelia