The Perfection of Patience

Waiting on God is deeply connected to patience because it involves trusting in a timeline beyond our control.

"Patience is a virtue, a fruit of the Spirit to grow each day—but I want it now!"

I think we’ve all felt that way.

The Global Prayer Gathering (GPG) of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) brings together on a daily basis hundreds of faithful watchmen on the walls, many of whom, like me, are looking for the Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah, to return and also to redeem Israel out of all their troubles.

That is why we cry, “Maranatha,” an ancient biblical word meaning, “Our Lord, Come!”

On the Zoom it was pointed out by David Parsons, the ICEJ V-P, that sometimes we eschatologists are too impatient with God.

We find a Bible prophecy, jump on it and proclaim that it is happening now.

Let’s learn to be patient with God. The Bible prophets were patient with God. They were long-suffering even as He is long-suffering.

It was prophesied that the Israelites would be afflicted slaves for hundreds of years in Egypt before they would be delivered back into their own covenant Land. They had to wait patiently for their deliverer. These are themes that we celebrate during this Passover season.

Have you noticed how many believers, especially those running wild on the Internet, already assume that we are living in the time of the Great Tribulation? But that time cannot come until the Rapture happens.

Concerning patience, in the 1956 film The Ten Commandments, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, there is a poignant scene where Moses, played by Charlton Heston, encounters an elderly Hebrew slave named Simon in the mud pits where the bricks were made. After being forced to work beyond his limits, old Simon dies in Moses' arms, expressing his longing and disappointment to see the Deliverer, unaware that Moses himself is that very person. Moses was the last person that the old man actually saw! Below are the relevant lines from that scene:

Moses: "I'll not leave a man to die in the mud."

Simon: "Thank you, my son... but death is better than bondage, for my days are ended and my prayer unanswered."

Moses: "What prayer, old man?"

Simon: "That before death closed my eyes, I might behold the Deliverer who will lead all men to freedom."

This exchange captures the dramatic irony and emotional weight of the moment, as Simon unknowingly speaks to the one he has awaited, highlighting Moses' emerging role as the Deliverer of the Hebrew people.

The Lord our Deliverer and King will return right on God’s schedule, not ours, but oh how we ask Him to hasten that Day!

Here are some Bible verses that speak about the fruit of the Spirit, patience (Galatians 5: 22):

1. James 5:7-8 - "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."

2. Galatians 6:9 - "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

3. Romans 12:12 - "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

4. Ecclesiastes 7:8 - "The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride."

5. Psalm 37:7 - "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."

6. Colossians 3:12 - "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

7. Proverbs 16:32 - "Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city."

8. James 1: 4- ^“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

These verses highlight patience as a virtue tied to faith, perseverance and trust in God’s timing.

Amen and amen!

To contact Christine Darg, click here