Anna Moore

The word “patience” sometimes makes me tremble. Maybe that’s the Holy Spirit convicting me, but for some reason, sometimes when I hear it, I’m reminded of a quality I lack.

Hi. I’m Anna and I’m impatient. Thank you for coming to my blog where I apparently share my flaws for the glory of God.

On a serious note, I’m not the only impatient Christian that ever lived. In the year 2021, I’m sure they are plentiful. I, like many others, am accustomed to high-performing technology, convenience and hustle. These things, I’ve learned, are terrible for my sanctification. Get married, and there’s a whole new level of impatience to graduate to. I can only begin to imagine what adding children into the mix might look like.

I’m learning that patience doesn’t just come overnight. It’s a journey and it takes effort, discipline and practice. How wonderful is it that the God of the universe is already patient? He’s a patient God. He doesn’t need to hustle to fit everything in a 24 hour day. He doesn’t get frustrated when the Internet service slows or stops working. He’s really more of a dial-up kind of God. If it takes awhile for something to work like it’s supposed to, the Lord knows it will work when it’s meant to and won’t walk away in frustration. Isn’t that the type of God we should want — someone different than us, better than us in every single way? Yes, please.

Don’t be fooled by the promises of Amazon Prime and fast food. The Christian life is not about convenience. We ship off our prayers, with the hopes they will be delivered within two to three business days. The truth is, God doesn’t work on anyone else’s timeline. He doesn’t even work on the base of time because, as Jen Wilkin once wrote, He doesn’t have limits. God is limitless, and because time is confined to seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc., He isn’t under those obligations like we are. He doesn’t need a deadline to get it done because deadlines are meant for discipline and He’s righteous. God works the way God works. His ways, not ours, and this is a God we need.

Some divine attributes of God are His infiniteness, omniscience, omnipotence, immutability, and self-existence. Those are fancy words for God’s all-knowingness, all-powerfulness and endless abilities. He’s merciful, just, holy, righteous, good, loving and wise. As believers, we are called to grow in likeness of Jesus Christ*, who is the very reflection of the Father. When we reflect Jesus in our actions, words and lifestyle, we show the world there is a better way than our own. We show the world Jesus.

The Apostle Paul wrote about qualities of the Lord that we will reflect as we grow in our faith. These are often called the “Fruit of the Spirit” because as we walk in the Spirit, or in God’s will – being obedient and reflecting the Lord’s nature, there should be “fruit” from our efforts. We are called to “be fruitful” (Gen. 1:28). To help us understand this better, Paul also informs us of qualities that do not reflect the Lord – and these ways are not fruitful to God’s eternal kingdom. Basically, these are the “what not to do” qualities. These things represent unrighteousness and evil, which are not attributes of God.

Let’s take a look at what Paul wrote to the church of Galatia in Galatians 5:16-24.

¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Paul begins with the bad and ends with the good. The good “fruit” we can produce include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These qualities are pretty straight-forward, but there is that one that trips me up. Patience.

The King James and New King James versions of the text use the word “longsuffering” instead of “patience.” The Oxford Dictionary defines “longsuffering” as “having or showing patience in spite of troubles, especially those caused by other people.”

We have evidence of God’s patience or longsuffering-ness throughout the Bible. When the Lord declares to Moses His character in Exodus 34:6, he says He is “slow to anger.” In 2 Peter 3:9, we read, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” In 1 Corinthians 13, love is described as “patient.” This is what divine love looks like.

I’ve been so impatient in this season of my life as I try to wait on God’s provision. To say it has been frustrating is putting it lightly, but what the Lord has shown me recently is that I need to practice patience and long-suffering as I walk through this so that I trust Him more and can therefore be ready to walk through any season in life, truly knowing He is in control. God is patient with me, a prodigal, rebellious child who is kicking and screaming when things go off-kilter to the plans I envisioned on my life. I’m learning that I need to be patient with Him as He is continually pruning me and shaping me to look and be more and more like Jesus. If the prayers that I have prayed a thousand times over do not get answered in the way or in the timeframe that I like, I should know that God has the better way for me and His way is perfect (2 Samuel 22:31). I can trust Him, because He is all-knowing, all-powerful. He is loving and kind. He knows what is best for me and if waiting and going through a tough season will draw me closer to Him, that’s just what I need.

Again, quoting one of my favorite writers and Bible teachers, Jen Wilkin writes convicting truth in “In His Image”: Patience is not just the ability to wait, but to abide. It is not just gritting our teeth and waiting for a circumstance to change or a trial to resolve, crossing days off on a calendar. It is living daily in the awareness that God holds all things together, and that, in the grand scheme of things, whatever trouble we face during this life is light and momentary. Sin and suffering have an expiration date.”

Patience is not just the ability to wait, but to abide.

– Jen Wilkin, “In His Image”

Friend, I don’t know what you’re going through, or what you’ve went through, but no matter your circumstances, know this: we have a patient God, who sees the full picture and understands our needs better than we do. He knows what we need in order to be the people He created us to be. Our hope is in Him. We aren’t promised an easy, comfortable life, but we are promised a God who will never leave us or stop loving us and we are promised an eternity with Him without pain, mourning or suffering (Rev. 21:4). He is always with us (Matthew 28:20) and He is always in control. Let us practice patience as we abide in Him on this side of Heaven. Let us focus on the long-view rather than the right now and let us look toward that future we have with Him as He continues the great work He started in us.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 

Philippians 1:6

*A little theology on Jesus: Jesus is the Son of God who is fully divine, and once born of the virgin Mary, He is also fully human. He is a real person who walked this earth as God in the flesh and He is currently seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He is STILL fully human and fully divine, even in heaven. In the Trinity (the Godhead which consists of the Father, Son and Spirit), Jesus is begotten by the Father and has always been begotten by the Father. Jesus is the very reflection of the Father and is the way we can know the Father. Jesus was sent by the Father to live among us in a real body and experience the same type of temptations, heartaches and pains we feel. Jesus was sinless and holy and righteous and therefore was the ultimate sacrifice to make atonement for our sins so that we could have a relationship with the Father, just as the Son does. When we put our faith in Christ and believe in what He did for us and repent of our sins, we are forgiven and become children of God. This is the good news of the gospel. We are seen as spotless, free and forgiven because of Christ and can now live eternally WITH our holy God in the new creation.

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