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Patience seems to occupy a central role in Scripture in the shaping of God’s people. Consider that Abraham—promised to be Father of the nation of Israel—was old and childless…then, he had a son, but he waited over 25 years for him to be born. Or what about when God called David to be the king of Israel? Before David ascended to the throne, he had to live as a fugitive in the desert for ten years while Saul chased him.
Below are the key points I gleaned from each of the Bible Study’s 6 Sessions:
1. The Benefits of Patience (Proverbs 14:29; 15:18; 16:32; 19:11; 25:15)
Learning to wait patiently on God is worth it. The benefits include the ability to influence others in godliness, the certainty of God’s blessings, a deeper knowledge of Scripture, a growing patience and forgiveness of others, and a certain hope to sustain us even in the darkest times.
Proverbs 15:18 also points out, “A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.” Resolving conflicts is a key skill for Out of This World Leaders!
2. The Blessings of Perseverance (James 5:7–12)
James 5 helps us understand that perseverance is a key leadership quality, particularly when we are faced with difficult circumstances, when we are hurting, or when we feel deserted.
The Christian life has been described as “a long obedience in the same direction.” We must keep on believing, day in and day out, for years…
3. The Virtue of Slowness (James 1:19–27)
How is the pace of your life? I know for me & my family, life moves very fast…
In contrast, living the Christian life can be slow going. In fact, the Christian life should be slow going. Our initial responses are not always godly ones, and we need to carefully consider our actions and seek the Lord’s guidance.
Maybe we need to even ask God to show us ways to slow down the pace of our lives, so we can listen properly to God’s Word as He guides us.
4. Patience and Forgiveness (Matthew 18:15–35)
We should always keep in mind that our first response to people and circumstances is not always the best response. Perhaps we could say that our first response is the “natural” response, while our second response could be a “supernatural” response—the response we would give if we took time to prayerfully reflect before we spoke or acted.
In Matthew 18, Jesus tells us that good relationships require work, a special kind of determination, patience, and mercy. As we consider someone who has offended us, we need to ask God to give us the courage and resolve to speak to that person. And pray that the discussion that occurs opens the way for reconciliation and forgiveness.
We must always be mindful that following Christ is not a solitary act; we are joined with each other. When we go with others, they can help us and the other person to see things from a different angle. Others may help us discover areas where we need to apologize to restore relationships that are important to our lives and leadership.
5. Waiting for the Lord (Psalm 40:1–5)
One dictionary definition of impatience is “not willing to put up with delay.” Another definition is “annoyance.” When we wait patiently, we know that the delay has meaning and purpose to it; and we choose not to be annoyed. When we wait impatiently, we demonstrate a lack of respect and a lack of trust that God will indeed come through, and we are not willing to put up with it.
In his book Waiting: Finding Hope When God Seems Silent, Ben Patterson calls us to look more deeply at the issue of waiting: “There is another, more acute kind of waiting—the waiting of a childless couple for a child; the waiting of a single person for marriage or whatever is next; the waiting of the chronically ill for health or death; the waiting of the emotionally scarred for peace; the waiting of men and women in dead-end careers for a breakthrough; the waiting of unhappy marriages for relief or redemption or escape; the waiting of students to get on with life; the waiting of the lonely to belong. For Christians in these kinds of waitings, the question is ‘How long, O Lord?’”
We need to ask God to give us spiritual eyes to discern His shaping hand behind the frustrations and challenges that we face.
In Psalm 40:3, David celebrates God’s deliverance with a new song. You may not be a poet or songwriter, but you can still worship the Lord with your own new song. This next week, set aside some time to write out a few lines of praise to God. Perhaps you could begin by rewriting the first five verses of Psalm 40 in your own words.
6. Waiting Until the End (Romans 8:18–30)
Do you have hope for the future? Without it, many give up. With it, we can keep going. We all need hope. But hope for next year or even ten years ahead is not enough. We need a far greater hope for the future. The apostle Paul writes about such a hope in the concluding portion of Romans 8.
Paul points out that hope is central to the Christian faith —
One good exercise is to make a list of the things that you hope for in the next ten years of your life. Next make a list of what you hope to do before your life is over. As you ponder your hopes for this life, consider how they reflect your background and character. Next consider how your hopes reflect your Christian faith. Finally, consider how your hopes will find fulfillment in the world to come.
May your future be filled with hope, as you shoot for the stars!