The act of waiting is not something we do very well. Scientists have said that impatience speeds up the aging process in our bodies. God, however, patiently does infinitely more for us than we can do for ourselves, and He teaches us with our history.
People in past generations had nowhere near the conveniences that we have today. There are some things that we can have instantly—no waiting required. Technology allows us to communicate around the world with the push of buttons. Travel by air is supersonic and speedy travel on the ground uses horsepower on wheels rather than horsepower on four animals’ legs. Yet, with all these advancements, we still allow stress and impatience to rob us of health and peace.
Concerning human troubles, King Solomon says, “There is nothing new under the sun and all things are wearisome” (Ecclesiastes 1:8-10). Solomon’s words are worth taking to heart because God gave him wisdom that exceeded all the people of his time (1 Kings 4: 29-34). Indeed there is nothing new under the sun. There are examples of human behavior from ancient times that are still going on today. People don’t trust God all the way—that started with Adam and Eve.
Family members become jealous of each other and react violently even to the point of death—the children of Adam and Eve. Sexual immorality permeates society—Sodom and Gomorrah. People break promises made to God and man—Ananias and Sapphira.
Human behavior hasn’t changed over the centuries. In cases where we fully understand God’s directions for us, we allow anger to take us off course. Consider Moses, God’s appointed leader of the people. In anger and frustration at the people’s grumblings, Moses disobeyed God’s command to speak to the Rock that would provide water. Instead, Moses struck the Rock (a presence of Jesus Christ) and incurred God’s anger.
In our impatient world today we are also guilty of taking matters into our own hands rather than waiting for God. Sometimes people become angry and disappointed at the actions of others and if we are not careful, we can do great harm, road rage for instance. Patience is one of God’s gifts to His people through the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). If there is a need for an offense to be corrected then trust the Lord for guidance. God’s teaching comes in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”
In the Bible, the life of Jonah is a striking example of what the human spirit will do. Jonah was given a clear mission from God. He was told to go and preach a message of salvation to the people of Nineveh. Thinking that they were not worthy of God’s blessing, Jonah attempted to flee from his assignment and God. Of course, God tracked Jonah down and sent him through some trials for correction before commissioning him a second time to go to Nineveh. Jonah went, fulfilled his mission and God’s will was done for the people. Jonah, however, remained a reluctant servant. God’s patience with mankind is seen so prominently in the life of Jonah. We are so thankful that God is patient with us as well. The Scriptures tell us that if God held our unrepented sins against us, we would perish (Psalm 130:3). Every Christian needs to be reminded, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Let us remember, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).
Samson, the strong man in the Bible, was a slave to his passions. Samson is not alone in that, forever since the original sin corrupted our human nature the words of Galatians 5:17 ring true, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh.” As in the case of Samson, sometimes a person has reached rock bottom before repentance can do its work. King Solomon says, “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning” (Ecclesiastes 7:8). God heard Samson’s prayer for forgiveness and granted him one last act of service against the enemies of the Kingdom.
We have a God who is merciful, forgiving, and faithful. He keeps His promises made and carried out through His son Jesus Christ Our Savior. God has everything at His disposal to patiently save, help, and teach us. The Apostle Paul brings a word from God, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). Paul further says in Romans 5:5, “And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”