by Stephen R. Clark
“Ah, patience. It’s a virtue!”
So common wisdom proclaims. The dictionary says a virtue is honorable behavior. So far, it sounds good. Even Proverbs 19:11 ties patience and virtue together, declaring, “A person’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.”
It seems patience is a worthy thing to pursue.
Yet, the contrarian side of common wisdom cautions, “Don’t pray for patience!”
“Why not?” we ask, confused, leaning in.
“Because,” the contrarian side of common wisdom whispers, then declares, “That prayer could be answered!”
Wait. What?
And now we are left scratching our heads, since most prayers long for an answer. But not this one? What’s going on?
Patience is essential
It seems many believe asking for patience in prayer could yield a series of unfortunate events, making life messy and forcing the choice between virtuous patience or less-than-virtuous exasperation. A veritable “rock and a hard place” situation.
Often when someone is viewed as being patient, it has something to do with how they’ve endured some tough troubles. Or how they’ve shown courage in challenging times. Or, somewhat annoyingly, how they’ve managed to walk through mind-boggling, double-tongued craziness with a startling sense of calm and presence of mind. We look at them and wonder, “Who are these people?”
Patience is fruity
Scripture calls these people fruit bearers! It’s right there in the middle of Galatians 5:22, 23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (emphasis added).
It’s important to note that fruit is singular. The nine characteristics listed are each an aspect of how Holy Spirit fruitiness is expressed through our lives. Nine seems like a lot, but, as we’ll see, it’s not too many at all.
Because the clear-eyed reality is that we are shaped, strengthened, and straightened through adversity more than through happy party times. We don’t even have to pray for patience-making hard stuff since — well, that’s life!
Jesus tells us straight, as reported by John: “You will have suffering in this world” (John 16:33). In other translations, suffering is rendered as tribulation, distress, frustration, affliction, sorrows, persecution, and trouble with a capital T.
Suddenly, it feels as though we could use a few more than just nine Holy Spirit-fueled fruitful characteristics!
Patience is enduring
In fact, in another book by John (Revelation), he shares in vivid language what kind of trouble the world and all of us in it will face. For some, John’s vision is a nightmare. But for those with eyes to see and ears to hear, his apocalyptic book tells an amazing story of comfort and joy. Well, comfort and joy for those who endure patiently and overcome the hard times by still standing on the promises and clinging to the hand of God in the end.
That was the point of John’s Revelation. It was intended as a message of encouragement to help believers patiently endure the hard times of their day. It’s a message that’s still relevant for us now.
Patience is hopeful
In John’s day, Rome (the evil empire) was in charge. Idolatry was rampant. The culture was fully bent and twisted away from anything godly. Christians who said “No!” to all of this were marginalized, abused, imprisoned, and killed. John wrote Revelation as an exiled prisoner.
Times were tough and dark. Yet the letter John wrote is burgeoning with promise and hope. At the front of it are seven personalized messages from Jesus to the churches John cares for. Each message concludes with the encouragement to those who conquer or overcome that they will indeed inherit eternal life. This is the promise and hope.
Patience is fierce
Is this talk of conquering a call to arms? No. It’s a call to “stand against the schemes of the devil” as Paul outlines in Ephesians 6:11. We are to armor up, spiritually speaking, and stand firm with Christ in this “struggle [that] is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens” (v. 12). In Revelation, John reveals to us these “cosmic powers” and “spiritual forces” in operation.
“But wait,” you object. “Aren’t we supposed to be looking at patience? And isn’t patience just about waiting around without getting bored?”
Patience is not just about waiting around, although there’s some of that. After all, it takes true patience to stand firmly. Or, to put it another way, to persevere. To hold on until the end when the promise of our hope will be realized.
Patience is community
It’s kind of like waiting patiently in line on a hot day with friends to get some ice cream. Oddly, the sweatier and longer the wait, the more glorious the reward of ice cream. Being there with friends is a bonus!
As Christians, standing (aka waiting) is not something we are called on to do alone. It’s a group activity. Paul gets at this in the beginning of Ephesians 4 where he encourages “you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all” (vv. 1-6).
We are all called in Christ to serve. We are to bear fruit of the Spirit, “humility and gentleness, with patience.” We’re to do this together, “bearing with one another” and “keep[ing] the unity,” because we are “one body.”
Patience is comforting
All of this is summed up in Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.”
The affliction part of this process has another payoff. Because we’ve “been there and done that,” we are equipped by our pain-birthed patience to provide comfort and guidance to others. Paul instructs us that God “comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4). This ability to comfort others grows out of our “patient endurance” (v. 6).
Patience is rewarded
Praying for patience is not a bad prayer to pray. Life is hard and its challenges are many as we wait expectantly (Jude 1:20, 21) for that time when, first, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that there is only one who is Lord (Romans 14:11). And, finally, when Jesus “will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more” (Revelation 21:4).
As John reminds us in Revelation, we need to be patient! Jesus is coming soon. That will be well worth the wait.
Until then, we can enjoy the “riches of [God’s] kindness, restraint, and patience” which aims to lead us into daily repentance (Romans 2:4). Like farmers tending their crops, we must “be patient until the Lord’s coming” (James 5:7) as the harvest grows. Then, while we wait, we can follow Paul’s exhortation to “warn those who are idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
