In Hebrews 10:36 we read, "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise" (King James Version throughout).
Perhaps this is another one of the Bible's notable understatements relating to our humanity. Do we really need patience? The longer we have been in God's Church, the more apt we should be to answer, "Yea, verily!"
By contrast, in this present world "many run to and fro" and "knowledge is increased [literally, multiplied]" (cf. Daniel 12:4). Accordingly, everything this world does is geared toward instant gratification. Even the information it offers is often packaged as "soundbites" and "brief commercial announcements." But some of this world's more perceptive people see their own need for more patience—and sometimes they might even get around to praying for it. As the joke goes, the prayer of such people might be, "O Lord, give me patience—and give it to me now!"
All joking aside, patience is a fundamental part of God's character. He has a great deal to say about it— because if we are to enter the Kingdom of God, it must become a fundamental part of our character also.
How Does the Bible Define Patience?
Believe it or not, the English word patience is not used at all in the King James Version of the Old Testament. Patiently is found twice (in Psalm 37:7 and 40:1) and patient once (in Ecclesiastes 7:8). This does not mean the concept is not fully there. The Hebrew words and phrases translated as "wait on," "wait for," "longsuffering," and so on, instruct us concerning patience. Similar phrases are also found in the New Testament. For simplicity's sake, let us examine just the Greek word underlying the English word patience in the New Testament.
In the Greek text, the chief word translated patience by the KJV is hupomone [Strong's Greek Dictionary #5281: "cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy"]. In various contexts, the KJV translates the word as "enduring," "patience," "patient continuance" or "patient waiting." Thayer's Greek Definitions expands on the meaning of this word further. First of all, it means "steadfastness, constancy, endurance." In the New Testament it is "the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings." Second, hupomone is "a patient, steadfast waiting for [something]." Finally, hupomone is "a patient enduring, sustaining, [or] perseverance."
The one-volume Theological Dictionary of the New Testament by Kittel further amplifies the meaning of hupomone and its underlying verb root, hupomeno, by looking to their biblical and historical contexts. "While [hupomeno] is at first ethically neutral, [hupomone] becomes a prominent virtue in the sense of courageous endurance. As distinct from patience [as commonly conceived: a passive trait], it has the active significance of energetic if not necessarily successful resistance, e.g., the bearing of pain by the wounded, the calm acceptance of strokes of destiny, heroism in face of bodily chastisement, or the firm refusal of bribes. True [hupomone] is not motivated outwardly by public opinion or hope of reward but inwardly by love of honor." What rich significance hupomone takes on in this light!
Growth Takes Time and Patience
What does all this mean in practice? The analogy of a farmer growing crops illustrates much of what patience (hupomone), on God's part and on ours, is all about.
In the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4–15), part of the seed fell on good ground. Notice: "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience" (v. 15). Why did Jesus interpret the seed that fell "on the good ground" in this way? For one thing, because grain takes time to bear fruit! But here, by analogy, it is not the farmer who is waiting patiently for the grain to ripen. The grain itself is exercising patience (hupomone)—by exerting the necessary effort to grow over time, taking nourishment from the good ground to do so. In the same way, Christians, rooted in the word of God (cf. Colossians 1:23), must "bring forth fruit with patience." They must "by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality" (Romans 2:7).
So we must be patient with ourselves—and also in overcoming ourselves against all opposition. We are, in effect, crops in God's field, being prepared through growth for His "harvest." In this, we definitely have our part to do as Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20). Our part lies in doing "good works" (Matthew 5:14–16; Philippians 2:12–13). We will not overcome all of our temptations and trials overnight, however. If we lose sight of this, then we will become discouraged.
Another obvious area in which we must apply patience is in the very trials we suffer. Jesus described the role of trials in this way: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman [farmer—in this parable, a grower of grapes]. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth [prunes] it, that it may bring forth more fruit" (John 15:1–2). God grows things—and us in particular! So God must allow us to go through trials at times so that we, like well-pruned grape vines, may bear more fruit.
This is where our "cheerful endurance" (as cited by Strong's Greek Dictionary) comes in. "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:2–4). Now here is something not often understood. It is not the pruning that we are to count as joy; that would be unreasonable. Rather, it is the "peaceable fruit of righteousness" that will result from it (cf. Hebrews 12:1–11). We "count it all joy" because the Husbandman's pruning, which we humanly hate so much, brings us closer to His perfection!
By yet another analogy, we ourselves are likened to the farmer and our reward at Christ's second coming is likened to the harvest that the farmer waits for. We must be patient for our reward! "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (James 5:7–8). "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Galatians 6:9).
Growth takes time—and patience. Satan accuses us before God day and night, in an attempt to get Him to lose patience with us. Satan also seeks to get us depressed because of our trials, so that we will become impatient with God and with waiting for our reward. Many passages in the five books of Moses, the book of Job, Revelation 12:10, and other verses illustrate Satan's strategy and tactics in this area. Review them—and do not ever fall for them!
Learning to "Wait on the Lord"
We must learn to be patient even in our relationship with God. This virtue is described in several different ways in the Bible. The Old Testament alone mentions the following phrase in various ways five times, "Wait on the Lord" (Psalm 27:14 [twice]; 37:34; 69:6; Proverbs 20:22).
When we cited James 1:2–4 above, we emphasized patience. We could have just as well emphasized faith and its corresponding hope. "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Romans 8:24–25). "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love" (Galatians 5:5–6). From where do we get this faith, love and righteousness? From the faith of Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:20)! But while the seed of that faith certainly comes to us all at once, at conversion, does that faith come to full maturity in us all at once? Of course not! Rather, as our faith is tried, it matures—and we gain greater patience thereby. We grow more able to "wait on the Lord" to answer and perform all He has promised and to give us more of His righteousness by faith.
The Psalms teach many rich lessons about how one learns to "wait on the Lord." One lesson is that learning to "wait for the Lord" often involves wrestling with painful questions. How many times in the Psalms do we read questions like those of Ethan the Ezrahite: "How long, Lord? wilt thou hide thyself forever?" (Psalm 89:46). Or especially like those of David, in the many Psalms he wrote during times of distress? Clearly, God did not answer the prayers of the Psalmists instantaneously all the time. From His perspective (that of "the Eternal"), He answered speedily, as in the Parable of the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:8). But notice what Jesus said in the context of the same parable: "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?" (v. 7). We must learn to accept this "bearing long"—this apparent delay on God's part in responding to our requests—and be patient with God's perfect work as a Husbandman, just as the Psalmists learned to be.
David in particular learned the lesson of "waiting for God" very well. But he also learned that his own example affected the ability of others to "wait on the Lord." Notice: "I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away. O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel" (Psalm 69:3–6).
David prayed that whatever happened to him would not diminish the patient endurance of others who saw his various plights and trials. Some of what was happening to David was his own fault—the result of his own sins. He knew it, and he knew that God knew it. On the other hand, many were persecuting David "without a cause." David did not want those who "waited on the Lord," as he did, to make unrighteous judgments— to infer cause and effect wrongfully. Rather, he wanted them to continue to wait on God despite what they saw happening to him.
We need to learn from this example. We cannot judge our brothers today for their trials as if God must be angry at them for some reason. Human nature would have us think, of a brother undergoing trials, that "he must have some deep, secret sin—and now God is really punishing him for it." As David's prayers show, in Psalm 69 and elsewhere, that is not necessarily the case—and even if it is, that does not necessarily mean that God is "writing that brother off!" As we have read, "the trying of your faith worketh patience." God was working with David just as He works with us, building the virtue of patience through trials and scourging. David passed all his tests and became a "man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22). Will we?
Learning To Be Patient with Others
Clearly, God is patient with us. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). And since He does not change, because of His perfect patience we have not been completely consumed for our sins (Malachi 3:6). In return, He expects us to be patient with others, just as He has been patient with us. In both cases, this requires forgiveness (Matthew 18:21–35).
Patience with others often requires suffering because of the sins of others. When Christ came the first time, He suffered, not due to His own sins, but due to all of our sins that were placed upon Him. He took that suffering patiently and even died quietly as the Lamb of God! "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7). We are told to follow His example: "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:21). And again: "Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure" (James 5:10–11).
Something else that James says is worth examining. "Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy" (v. 11). While Job did suffer for what he was—self-righteous (Job 32:1–3)—he did not suffer for what he had done. Job learned great patience through his suffering—and upon repentance, reaped the reward (chapter 42).
Notice Paul's words: "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men" (1 Thessalonians 5:14). This is godly love in action. Simply exercising our human, often short-tempered nature while dealing with others just "won't cut it!" This is why patience is one of the chief qualifications for the ministry. It is a quality that all of God's people should emulate. "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth…" (2 Timothy 2:24–25).
The Second Great Commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," is in force even concerning patience. Do we want others to be patient with us? If so, then we had better be patient with them. As Paul explained, we are commanded to be!
Patience Is Forever!
Frankly, the first 1,100 years after Christ returns will not always be easy for us, even as glorified Sons of God. We will be dealing with mortal human beings—many of them ignorant or rebellious or both. Will we need patience then? And after that, how long will the first project that God assigns us in the New Heavens and New Earth take—if that question even has any meaning? Will we need patience then?
Consider: if current scientific estimates are correct, it has already taken some 13.5 billion years for God to bring His plan from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 1:2. It took Him six days to recreate the earth after that. It has taken about 6,000 years for Him to reach where we are today from there. Obviously, God believes in "taking His time" when necessary. In the eternal future, will He be less patient than this? Then how can we aim for any less patience than His own, if we want to live and work with Him?
As the saying goes, "Forever is a long, long time." That is why we need to develop godly patience in this life. In the long run, patience is forever!