Daily Devotional
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: PATIENCE
Thur., March 20 - Mon., March 24
Thur., March 20
Waiting, Hoping, Trusting
By Samantha Rodriguez
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“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”—Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)
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“The approximate wait time is . . . 60 minutes,” says an automated voice over the phone. When we think about waiting, we can think of waiting for a website to load, for a package to arrive in the mail, or for someone to text us back. Waiting has become so mechanized because we’ve gotten used to the instant gratification technology gives us. This makes it harder to wait for things that take more time such as a healthy and God-honoring relationship, a job offer after having interviewed five different times, or healing from an illness.
Waiting on God can sometimes be even more frustrating because we want Him to answer our prayers quickly. With this comes fear that He won’t answer at all or He won’t answer in the way we want Him to. This is because we’re human. We’re naturally selfish and believe we know better than God. Our human nature makes it hard for us to be patient.
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Over the past year, I found myself in many different seasons of waiting. From living situations to relationship changes to decisions about my future, I had to wait for God to move and answer my prayers for direction and guidance. Not only that, but I was seeking consistency through all of this because things seemed to keep changing and life kept throwing challenges in my path. It was in this season when I began to understand what it means to wait on the Lord patiently, which is what our passage today illustrates.
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When reading today’s verse, it’s important to read the passage in its entirety to see the full picture Isaiah was trying to paint. He’s trying to comfort God’s people by pointing their eyes to His strength and majesty. He doesn’t inflate the egos of the people. In fact, he says in the verse right before, “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength . . .” (Isaiah 40:30-31a ESV, emphasis added).
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We cannot possibly live this life for God if we don’t keep our eyes on Him, which is why the word used for wait here has also been translated to hope and trust. Waiting is intrinsically connected to trust and hope. When we wait on someone, the reason we can wait is because we trust they will show up or come through. When we hope for something, we wait with expectation and anticipation because we trust in whatever or whoever we’re hoping for. Therefore, the way we wait matters. If we wait impatiently and with a restless heart, then we’re not waiting with faith and trust in God. If we wait patiently, we wait with a peace that transcends all understanding because we know and trust the God who ultimately holds the whole world, including us, in His hands.
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On our own, impatience and frustration in waiting are our innate reactions. With the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, waiting patiently and with trust becomes more natural. We will never be perfect in this, but we will begin to recognize more quickly that we must daily surrender and commit our trust to the Lord. And as we continually wait on the Lord, He will give us strength to walk, run, and soar without growing faint or weary!
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Pause: Take a moment to consider how waiting, hoping, and trusting are all connected. How have you seen these three things play out in your own life recently? Have you waited patiently or impatiently?
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Practice: Take time today to journal or reflect with God on what you’re waiting for. Be honest and vulnerable with Him about how you feel and why. He wants to hear your cries and hold your heart, so surrender to Him and think about how you can wait patiently in trust instead of impatiently in fear.
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Pray: Father, I know You are trustworthy, but living in that is not always easy. Today, I surrender all these things occupying my heart and mind to You because You already hold them and know them. I want to walk in patience and trust instead of impatience and fear, so I ask You Holy Spirit, for help. I will wait on You because You promise to strengthen me and answer me. You have my best interest in mind. I love You and trust you! Amen.
Praying for Patience
By Denise Trio
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“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes”—Psalms 37:7 (NIV)
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Don’t ever pray for patience. I’m not kidding. Unless you want to be put into situations that allow you to practice building patience, I would avoid mentioning the word “patience” at all in your prayers! I’ve had my fair share of slow check-out lines, crawling traffic, and understaffed restaurants to show me just how impatient I am. Maybe you can relate!
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Actually, I am kidding. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, so it should be something we ask for and demonstrate in our lives as Christians. I love the way Merriam-Webster defines patience: “bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint.” If I’m honest, most times I don’t bear pain or trials calmly or without complaint. I want the pain to be over quickly and the trial to end soon, and I make sure to let God and anyone else who will listen know! I grumble and get agitated. Patience is not easy.
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The psalmist here beckons us to be still before the Lord; to wait patiently for Him. By saying, “Do not fret,” he’s calling us to reflect on the faithfulness of God and his character. God knows what you need. He sees you. He will come through. Be patient.
Why?
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We ought to be patient because God is patient. Made in His image, we reflect His character traits to a world that doesn’t know Him. Patience is hard to come by because it’s difficult to practice. But what is amazing about patience is that since it’s a fruit of the Spirit, patience is a work of God’s Spirit in us. It’s not about us or up to us! It’s God at work in us.
Imagine if God was impatient. He could very easily come down from heaven and put us all in our place with His might and power and omnipresence. Instead, He is kind and longsuffering. He is slow to anger and abounding in love. He is good to all. He is patient, and that allows us to be patient.
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In a world that is hurried and always in a rush, I want to be like that. I want to be like a boulder along the shoreline, that though is pounded by waves, soaked by rain, and blown by wind, it does not move. It is patient, steadfast, and suffers long. Ultimately, I want to look like Jesus who demonstrated this the best for us by enduring the pain and trial of the cross calmly and without complaint. If Jesus was patient, then He can and will enable us by the power of His Spirit to be patient, too!
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Pause: When do you find yourself most impatient? Do you bear pain and trial without complaining?
Practice: The next time you feel your patience start to be tested, take a deep breath and count to ten. Instead of complaining about the pain or trial, try making a list of things to be thankful for in the midst of the trial.
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Pray: Dear Jesus, please forgive me for losing my patience. I confess I’m not always the most patient person. Thank You Jesus that You demonstrating what perfect patience is. Even though I’m imperfect, please fill me with Your Spirit so I might demonstrate this fruit of the Spirit to others. I do pray for patience! Remind me to choose gratitude and praise the next time I grow impatient. Thank You for Your help! Amen.
Friday, March 21
Sat., March 22
Patience for a Promise
By Samantha Rodriguez
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“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”—James 5:7–8 (NIV)
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Think back to when you were a child. Was there ever a moment where your parents, a teacher, or a friend made a promise to you? I remember making promises with friends about keeping secrets. We would pinky promise not to tell anyone else who we had a crush on. There is something about making a promise that promotes trust and deepens a bond. According to Oxford Languages on Google, the definition of promise is “a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.” Another definition from Merriam-Webster is “a cause or ground for hope.”
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When you think about promises; however, you may also think about promises being broken. I still remember the simplest promises that were broken to me as a child, such as my mom promising we would get a dog someday or my brother promising to save the last Chick-fil-A sauce for me. You may be thinking of more serious broken promises, such as a friend talking behind your back or a spouse having an affair. Broken promises are the result of our broken world. Broken promises always weaken and damage trust.
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Whether your initial thoughts on promises are more joyful or pessimistic, it’s still true that promises involve trust. The reason we’re talking about promises today is because we serve a God who has given us promises to hold on to. You see, God is a good promise giver and promise keeper, but the brokenness of this world makes it hard to believe that sometimes. In today’s Scripture, James is encouraging Christians to patiently hold onto the promises of God because He is trustworthy and has promised to restore all things one day!
The beauty of this specific promise is that it relates to our future. The promise of Christ’s return is a promise that gives us eternal hope. Patience isn’t just about waiting, it’s about waiting without becoming angry or upset. As we wait for various things in life overall, we’re also waiting for Christ to come and establish His kingdom forever.
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In order to wait well through all of these things, we must live with patience. Patience means we wait with hope and that hope comes from knowing who the promise giver and promise keeper is. Patience also enables us to treat others with the same love and kindness that Jesus treats us with. From small inconveniences to other more difficult problems, patience looks like being gentle, humble, servant-hearted, and trusting. A strong faith in our perfectly patient Father will lead to an increasingly patient heart within us, His children.
Therefore, patience can only become more natural in us when we root ourselves in Christ. His promises and character must be at the forefront of our minds. The Holy Spirit will help us live patiently because He helps us live by God’s truth and live in full surrender. In order to embody patience, we must therefore remember God’s promises like how James did in our Scripture today. Our patience comes from trusting in God’s promises, especially His promise to return and restore all of creation once and for all! Let’s live in light of that promise today!
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Pause: Think about God being a good promise keeper and promise giver. Think about how you have seen this to be true in Scripture or in your own life.
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Practice: Try to make a list of promises God gives us to hold on to in the Bible. Then, think about this question: How does knowing His promises help you live more patiently?
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Pray: Father, thank You so much for being a good promise giver and promise keeper. You promised us redemption and salvation, and You gave it to us in Jesus Christ. You promised us a helper, and you gave us the Holy Spirit. The list goes on and on. I want to walk in patience by walking in complete trust. I know You will come back one day, so I can patiently wait for Your return because You promise to be with me in the waiting! Thank You for being faithful even when I struggle to be. Amen.
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Patience with People
By Samantha Rodriguez
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“Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.”—Proverbs 14:29 (NIV)
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Have you ever felt impatient in a difficult situation or with a difficult person? If we’re being honest here, each of us have experienced this before because we’re only human! You can see it in children at a very young age—this impatience to wait for things they want. We still get impatient now, it just expresses itself differently. We can be impatient with traffic, with our food at a restaurant, or with a website loading, but when we think about the way our impatience reflects on our relationships with real people, it becomes more significant than just a little bit of road rage.
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Think about the weight of being impatient with your spouse, or your child, or your friend. The frustration creates disunity because there’s an expectation not being met by someone you care for. When we get impatient with strangers, we’re becoming frustrated and upset for the same reason. It’s probably even easier to feel this way with a stranger because we don’t know their story or care about them in the same way.
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In today’s Scripture, patience is connected to great understanding. I believe this is because when we choose to not think about another person’s life, we more easily act impatiently with them. It also goes the other way around! When we practice patience with people, our hearts and minds are open so we can better understand the people around us.
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Why does it matter though, that we cultivate patience and seek understanding between us and other people? It matters because that is what Jesus has done and continues to do with us! Jesus is the perfect example of what it means to be patient and seek understanding. Philippians 2 reminds us that Jesus, though being in His very nature God, did not try to hold onto His equality with God; rather, He humbled Himself to become a servant, take on humanity, and be obedient to the point of death! He can understand what it’s like to feel emotions, to have parents and siblings, to experience the loss of a loved one, to experience the joy of a sweet community, to experience the pain of loneliness, and to experience the suffering of persecution. We have a Savior who understands us, so we should also model this with how we seek to understand other people.
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We also have a Savior who is patient with us when we struggle to trust or obey Him. As David wrote in Psalm 103:8 (NIV), “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” Not only is this a reason in itself to practice patience in our lives, but as children of God and representatives of Christ, we’re also commanded to practice patience with others! In Ephesians 4:2 (NIV), Paul writes, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Patience is a virtue that comes alongside humility, gentleness, and love. We must receive the grace of God first in order to extend grace to others, and that is what patience is all about!
On our own, it’s not easy to exercise patience, but when we fix our eyes on Christ, allow His Spirit to work in our hearts, and seek to understand the people around us, then our patience will grow!
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Pause: Where do you struggle being impatient with people? What are the reasons why you usually get impatient with others?
Practice: In a conversation with someone today, ask intentional questions with the desire to try and understand them and their story better. This will help you practice listening and cultivate your patience.
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Pray: Gracious Father, thank You for being perfectly patient with me. You never fail to shower me with grace, yet You are also faithful to convict me and lead me in Your truth. When I’m struggling to surrender parts of my life to You, You wait patiently yet continually push me to do so because, in Your patience, You never give up on me. Help me to exercise this sort of patience with the people in my life. I want to reflect You through the way I care for others and treat people with patience. Amen.
Sun., March 23
Mon., Mar. 24
Biblical Patience
By Pastor Dan Hickling
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“Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”—Hebrews 6:12 (NKJV)
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We don’t know who wrote the Book of Hebrews, but we do know their purpose for writing it. Just a few decades into the church’s existence, some stress fractures were beginning to show. Enormous pressure was being placed on the first generation of Christians to deny their newfound faith. This was especially true for those Jewish believers who were being coerced to revert back into the old familiar system of Judaism, and many of whom did.
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The author of Hebrews composed this letter to stem this tide by exposing how much better Christ is than Judaism, and to encourage them to stay the course of following Him. It wouldn’t be easy. The pressure to cave and crawl back to the familiar comforts of their community would only intensify. But stay the course they must, just like those who had already inherited God’s promises through faith and patience. What would be needed to carry these Jewish converts to Christ across the finish line? Patience. The same patience that every follower of Jesus needs in their lives.
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Now, we hear the word “patience” and we often associate it with notions that really don’t do it justice. “Patience, oh that’s when I don’t lose it when someone cuts in front of me at Starbucks.” Or, “I was so patient the other day when this telemarketer called, I didn’t hang up on them until they finished pitching their product.” Those scenarios don’t really describe the “patience” in view here. The actual Greek word means, “to bear up under trouble.” It means you don’t buckle under immense pressure.
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Imagine a hydraulic press that crushes everything you put in to it—eggs, watermelons, pottery, cans of soup, microwaves . . . nothing stands a chance. The press does what it does and a lot of times is feels like our own lives are in that press. But imagine something comes along so strong that it withstands the pressure of the press. It won’t be crushed or altered by the external force in any way. That’s a picture of biblical “patience.” It possesses the strength to withstand the pressures being exerted against it.
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This is the quality each Christian needs in order to withstand the external forces that press in against us and would do damage to our testimony for Christ. For instance, an employer who is dealing deviously with you, or a relative who is taking advantage of your commitment to forgive them and work towards reconciliation. There’s a persistent sickness for which there seems no end in sight. Your adversary, the devil, is relentlessly pushing the buttons that always seem to push you over the edge. Patience is needed in each of these and countless other situations where the press is being applied.
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Thankfully, this patience is something that is freely given to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. As we abide in Christ and cultivate a deeper relationship with Him, the Spirit produces this patience in us (Galatians 5:22). And through this heavenly gift, we’re able to hold up under any pressure we might experience in this life. May the Lord fill us with the patience we need in order to inherit His promises.
Pause: What was the purpose for the Book of Hebrews being written?
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Practice: How would you describe the biblical concept of “patience” in your own words? Write it down and share it with a Christian friend. Discuss it, pray over it, and see if it truly aligns with what we see in Scripture.
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Pray: Lord God, we are weak and fragile, easily crushed and cast down under the slightest pressure. We need Your strength of patience to endure and overcome the pressures that we will encounter as our faith in You is challenged. Please continue to produce this patience in us by the work of Your Spirit as You continue to complete the good work You’ve begun in us. Amen.