Why You Need to Be Proactively Patient
“Patience is power.
Patience is not an absence of action;
rather it is “timing”
it waits on the right time to act,
for the right principles
and in the right way.”
~Fulton J. Sheen
Each month of The Faith Project has had its own set of challenges . . . freedom, love, wisdom, prayer, humility, and now, patience. Digging deep isn’t easy, but I’ve stopped and lingered and my faith has grown.
My prayer at the beginning was that my faith would grow.
Not my knowledge, but my faith.
I’ve spent much of my life studying Bible truths and have a fair amount of “knowledge.” But knowledge didn’t root those truths down deep where daily trusting God and life intersect.
Please don’t misunderstand, I will always be a student of the Bible. I want to learn as much as I can but more than that I want to completely surrender to God through faith . . . in the big things and the little things.
So, June will dig into surrendering with patience.
Does just the mention of the word patience scare you a little bit?
I remember when I quit praying for patience when my children were little. Since God did not choose to magically infuse it into my life but allowed me a plethora of opportunities to apply it —unsuccessfully, I might add…
I stopped asking.
Patience is hard when you’re exhausted. There are many life factors that make having patience hard. So, I’m digging deep. I want to know more about—What it is. Why it’s important. How to survive impatient people. And the overwhelming blessing of God’s patience. I want to grow in faith as I wait on God’s timing.
We live at a time when many things happen fast.
It’s still a little hard for me to get over the reality that if I have a question about something Siri or Google will usually have the answer for me in under sixty seconds. And that’s just information. The list of things we do faster now than ever before grows every day.
And maybe, just maybe, in this fast paced life we are growing increasingly impatient.
Patience is defined as the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
Dr. Judith Orloff wrote the following for Psychology Today:
“Patience doesn’t mean passivity or resignation, but power. It’s an emotionally freeing practice of waiting, watching, and knowing when to act.”
There is strength in patience. It’s intentional. Pro-active and wise. (Wow, that’s almost Biblical. I just love when a secular publication supports Biblical truths unknowingly.)
Waiting. Watching. Knowing when to act.
Whether you and I need patience because we’re short on time, suffering, or in the middle of a crisis, whether it’s a big deal or a minor irritation . . . making the decision to wait, watch, and know is Holy Spirit empowered strength.
Wait on God’s Timing – God has not forsaken you. He hears every prayer, gathers every tear, and loves you more than you can imagine. Waiting on God’s timing may be one of the most difficult things to learn (at least for me it has been) but don’t give up. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. And trust His perfect timing.
I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1
Wait for the Lord’s help. Be strong and brave, and wait for the Lord’s help. Psalm 27:14
I wait for the Lord to help me, and I trust His word. Psalm 130:5
Watch What God is Doing – Pay attention to God’s activity in your life and the lives of those around you. Get involved. Pray for each other. Trust and surrender confident that God has a plan for you and that He will accomplish it in His own perfect way.
My children, listen to your father’s teaching; pay attention so you will understand. Proverbs 4:1
My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver. Psalm 119:71–72
My son, pay attention to me, and watch closely what I do. Proverbs 23:26
Know When to Act – I’ve had too many times when my impatience caused me to take action too soon. God was telling me to wait and I . . . well, I simply didn’t trust Him to come through. So, I jumped in, took charge, and it NEVER went well.
Part of patience is listening for His guidance. Knowing His voice and knowing when to act. It’s proactive. Not sitting on the couch pouting, but doing whatever God has called you to do today.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27
So don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you; I will support you with my right hand that saves you. Isaiah 41:10
God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid, but a spirit of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7
Finally, patience is holding on to hope. While you and I wait and watch. While we obediently trust and follow. We never lose hope.
God is who He says He is. He will always accomplish His purposes in His timing.
It looks like it will be another month of digging down to deeper roots of faith. I hope you’ll join me.
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Hi Deb,
What Godly timing you have. He has had me on this “JUST watch and know that God is God” journey for many years now. (Yes, I am a slow learner) It started when my oldest was a freshmen in college and got himselfishness trouble with the law and his school.I had started devisit a plan to best deal with him. That is when God spoke that to me. Parenting is hard especially when they get older. ?
Sorry, I digress. Anyway this morning before 7am I had already lost my patients. Then I read your post. Thank you, for your Godly timing. I will be forever grateful to my Go’s for His patients and faithfulness when I am not.
Kathy
Parenting takes lots of patience. Knowing when to act and when to wait is hard. I’m so glad this blessed you this morning. I know I’ve had times when it’s been important to sit back and wait . . . watching what God is doing in my children’s lives. He loves them so much and never gives up on them. Trusting His patience with me and with my children. Blessings to you, Kathy! Thanks so much for visiting and stopping to say ‘hi’.
Thank you for your uplifting words!
Rita
I love how you’ve shown us that patience isn’t passive, but proactive. I’ve learned a lot from the Lord about waiting for His timing in my life. Still learning and growing, of course, as I, like everyone else, are works in progress.
Looking forward to exploring what patience truly means in our faith walk, Deb!
Blessings!
That was new for me, Martha. I thought of patience like waiting in line or in a doctor’s waiting room. Boring! But patience is so much more. I’m excited about digging deep into this month. Thanks, Martha!
What a good word, Deb!
I love this line: “Pay attention to God’s activity in your life and the lives of those around you. Get involved.”
Thank you for encouraging us to wait with purpose!
Blessings,
Melanie
Thanks, Mel. Looking for that purpose in every day even while I’m waiting. Not easy, but certainly makes for a better day than sitting around feeling sorry for myself. Blessings to you!
“Trust and surrender”, “listening for His guidance”, pay attention, all actions. For some reason these are harder than washing dishes or folding laundry, perhaps because they require so much more focus and are required during all waking hours. God help us to do better.
Lord, help us to do better. My daily prayer, Ruth! And remember that washing dishes and folding laundry may just be exactly where He wants you today! Blessings!!
I’ve had too many times when I acted too soon because I was impatient, as well. It’s a trust issue. I need to trust God fully- that his ways are perfect. I’m looking forward to learning more about patience this month through this series.
Those are lessons learned the hard way, aren’t they? It took me waaay too long to learn that waiting on Him is best. I still relapse, but by His grace, I just want to be pulled back before I make foolish choices. Thanks, Dawn. Blessings to you!
It is going to be a good month! Patience – argh! Just when I think I’m getting it down, impatience sneaks in and raises my anxiety level!
Blessings, my friend!
Lori
I know, Lori! I’m excited about learning about patience from different angles but always a little anxious about how I’ll get to apply the word of the month. So, thankful for grace. I need it! Blessings!!
Patience is one of those things that matures with us, isn’t it? Life requires patience, and eventually, we decide to get on board the patience train, since it makes life more peaceful. 🙂 “Patience is holding on to hope.” I like that, Deb. 🙂 Encouraging as always, thanks for sharing. ((xoxo))
I like to think I a pretty patient person, but then something comes up and shows me just how patient I really am. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has for you to share this month. Thanks for linking up with Thankful Thursdays.
Deb, I learned long ago that praying for patience is the wrong thing to do. It’s really about perseverance. Watching. Waiting. Believing. Currently, I’m reading through Job–he stayed faithful to the Lord and persevered through some very bad times. However, he wasn’t exactly patient.
Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to learning along with you.
Blessings!
Thanks for sharing on Let’s Get Real Friday Party. #LetGetRealSocial. One of my prayers is God I believe, help my unbelief. Yes I have faith but I want it to grow stronger. I love that you are speaking about active patience…waiting on God’s time can be so hard, the only way I can do it, is to give it over to God in my prayer time.
Thanks so much for this, Deb! Sometimes, I feel like if I can just see the end from the beginning, then I can wait patiently for things to work out. Problem is, I can’t see the end, but I can trust the One who does. I need to remember to draw strength from Him as I patiently, proactively and prayerfully wait for His plans to be revealed. Looking forward to digging deeper with you.