Embracing Divine Patience: Trusting God's Timing

 

Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound and often challenging concept of patience as a fruit of the Spirit. Patience is not merely a personal virtue but a divine attribute that God desires to cultivate within us. Reflecting on my own journey, I shared how patience has been a significant area of growth, from waiting for practical things like broadband installation to deeper spiritual lessons. Patience is not about things falling into place quickly but about trusting God's timing and His greater plan, even when it seems delayed. God's delays are often His mercies in disguise, as He sees the end from the beginning and asks us to trust and abide in Him.

We delved into the character of God, who is described in Exodus 34:6 as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. This image of God challenges us to reshape our understanding of Him, moving away from misconceptions of an angry or distant deity to a loving Father who is patient with us. This patience is evident throughout Scripture, from the Israelites' journey in the wilderness to Jesus' interactions with His disciples and others. Jesus embodies the fullness of God, demonstrating patience even in the face of injustice and misunderstanding.

Patience also involves waiting on God, often without immediate answers. Biblical figures like Joseph, Job, and Elizabeth exemplify this waiting, teaching us to find comfort in God's Word and community. Trusting in God's character allows us to surrender our need for control and embrace His timing, knowing He is faithful and true.

Finally, patience extends to our relationships with one another. As a community, we are called to bear with each other in love, reflecting Christ's presence through our interactions. This requires us to abide in Him, allowing His Spirit to produce the fruit of patience in our lives. By doing so, we can become a transformative force in our families, communities, and beyond, known for our love, joy, and patience.

Key Takeaways:

1. God's Timing and Patience: God's delays are often His mercies in disguise. He sees the end from the beginning and asks us to trust and abide in Him, even when things don't fall into place quickly. This trust in His timing is a profound act of faith. [09:34]

2. Understanding God's Character: Our view of God shapes our lives. Recognizing God as merciful, gracious, and slow to anger helps us align our understanding with His true nature, moving away from misconceptions and embracing His love. [12:01]

3. Waiting on God: Patience involves waiting on God, often without immediate answers. Biblical figures like Joseph and Job teach us to find comfort in God's Word and community, trusting His faithfulness even in silence. [15:20]

4. Patience in Relationships: As a community, we are called to bear with each other in love, reflecting Christ's presence through our interactions. This requires us to abide in Him, allowing His Spirit to produce the fruit of patience in our lives. [17:13]

5. Abiding in Christ: The fruit of the Spirit, including patience, is produced as we abide in Christ. This involves surrendering to His will, trusting His character, and allowing His Spirit to transform us, impacting our communities and the world. [29:13]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [02:00] - Introduction and Personal Reflection
- [05:30] - The Challenge of Patience
- [09:34] - God's Timing and Patience
- [12:01] - Understanding God's Character
- [15:20] - Waiting on God
- [17:13] - Patience in Relationships
- [20:00] - Biblical Examples of Patience
- [23:00] - Abiding in Christ
- [26:00] - Community and Patience
- [29:13] - Final Reflections and Call to Action

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Patience as a Fruit of the Spirit

Bible Reading:
1. Exodus 34:6 - "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness."
2. Galatians 5:22-23 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
3. 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."

Observation Questions:
1. How does the sermon describe God's timing and patience, and what personal examples were shared to illustrate this? [09:34]
2. What characteristics of God are highlighted in Exodus 34:6, and how do they challenge common misconceptions about God's nature? [12:01]
3. According to the sermon, how does Jesus embody the fullness of God’s patience, and what examples from His life demonstrate this? [17:13]
4. What role does community play in helping us wait on God, as discussed in the sermon? [15:20]

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does understanding God as "slow to anger" and "abounding in steadfast love" impact a believer's relationship with Him? [12:01]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that patience is interconnected with other fruits of the Spirit, and why is this significant? [29:13]
3. How does the sermon explain the importance of having a correct view of God, and what are the potential consequences of misconceptions? [17:13]
4. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between patience and love in our interactions with others? [17:13]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you had to wait on God without immediate answers. How did you find comfort during that period, and what might you do differently next time? [15:20]
2. Consider your current view of God. Are there any misconceptions you need to address to align more closely with the biblical description of His character? [12:01]
3. Identify a relationship in your life where patience is particularly challenging. What practical steps can you take to bear with that person in love? [17:13]
4. How can you incorporate the practice of "being still" and waiting patiently for God into your daily routine? What might that look like practically? [09:34]
5. Think of a situation where you were impatient. How did that affect your relationship with others, and what could you do to respond more lovingly in the future? [17:13]
6. What specific action can you take this week to abide more deeply in Christ, allowing His Spirit to produce the fruit of patience in your life? [29:13]
7. How can you encourage your community to reflect Christ's presence through patience, and what role can you play in fostering this environment? [29:13]

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting in God's Timing
Patience is a profound act of faith, requiring us to trust in God's timing even when things don't fall into place quickly. God's delays are often His mercies in disguise, as He sees the end from the beginning. This trust is not passive but an active abiding in Him, knowing that His plans are greater than our own. By surrendering our timelines to God, we open ourselves to His divine wisdom and purpose, allowing His Spirit to cultivate patience within us. [09:34]

Isaiah 30:18 (ESV): "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him."

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you struggle to trust God's timing? How can you actively surrender this to Him today?


Day 2: Embracing God's True Character
Our understanding of God shapes our lives profoundly. Recognizing God as merciful, gracious, and slow to anger helps us align our perception with His true nature. This understanding moves us away from misconceptions of an angry or distant deity to embracing Him as a loving Father. By reshaping our view of God, we can experience His love more fully and allow it to transform our hearts and actions. [12:01]

Psalm 86:15 (ESV): "But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness."

Reflection: How does your current view of God affect your relationship with Him? What steps can you take to align your understanding with His true character today?


Day 3: The Strength in Waiting
Patience often involves waiting on God without immediate answers. Biblical figures like Joseph and Job exemplify this waiting, teaching us to find comfort in God's Word and community. Trusting in God's faithfulness, even in silence, allows us to surrender our need for control and embrace His timing. This waiting is not passive but a deep, active trust in His promises and character. [15:20]

Lamentations 3:25-26 (ESV): "The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

Reflection: Think of a situation where you are waiting for God's guidance. How can you find strength and comfort in His Word and community during this time?


Day 4: Patience in Community
As a community, we are called to bear with each other in love, reflecting Christ's presence through our interactions. This requires us to abide in Him, allowing His Spirit to produce the fruit of patience in our lives. By doing so, we can become a transformative force in our families, communities, and beyond, known for our love, joy, and patience. [17:13]

Colossians 3:12-13 (ESV): "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."

Reflection: Who in your community do you find challenging to be patient with? How can you intentionally practice patience and love towards them today?


Day 5: Abiding in Christ for Transformation
The fruit of the Spirit, including patience, is produced as we abide in Christ. This involves surrendering to His will, trusting His character, and allowing His Spirit to transform us. As we abide in Him, we impact our communities and the world, becoming known for our love, joy, and patience. This transformation is a testament to the power of living in close relationship with Christ. [29:13]

John 15:4-5 (ESV): "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Reflection: What does abiding in Christ look like in your daily life? How can you create space for His Spirit to transform you today?

Quotes

"God's delay or what seems like a delay is sometimes God's mercy in disguise. You see, God sees the end from the beginning. Put this way, He is Alpha and the Omega. God asks us to trust in Him, to wait patiently for Him, and to abide in Him. I have found, like David in Psalm 37 verse 7, to be still and wait patiently for Him, and later in verse 25, it says, 'I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken.'" [00:04:06] (36 seconds)


"It is the Spirit that produces the fruit in our lives, not us by our efforts, by trying really, really hard. It is as we abide in Him, in Christ, connected to the vine, that this fruit grows in our lives, and they are all interlinked. Hannah used a really great word, concatenation, in her intro to the series, which is a word that describes how, in this case, the fruit is all linked together." [00:05:50] (32 seconds)


"As we keep in step with the Spirit, we allow God to grow this fruit in us, and He will absolutely give you countless opportunities to grow. Today, I want us to look at three areas or kind of ways that I want us to step into this and look at. Number one, I really want us to look at God's patient character. I want us to see how God is patient with us." [00:08:56] (28 seconds)


"God has had the same desire since the beginning that we would be with Him, that we would walk with Him in the cool of the day, to abide with Him. Or as Eugene Peterson says, make our home with Him. He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants to show us how to live the best life. He has a life designed for you and for me." [00:09:59] (29 seconds)


"When I was sitting down to prepare this message of patience, the verse that came into my head straight away was Exodus 34, verse six. Let me read that again, because this is who the Lord is. The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." [00:12:17] (40 seconds)


"God is patient with His people if you look throughout the history of God in scripture. In Exodus, if you've read it, great. If you haven't, I would really encourage you to. It's a great book just to kind of see this kind of imagery of where the people of Israel constantly complained. God rescued them from Egypt and then they complain." [00:13:55] (24 seconds)


"Jesus is in Colossians 1 says, in Him all the fullness of God dwells. So Jesus is the fullness of God, which means He also is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Jesus was super patient with people. If again, you haven't read how His encounters are with the people, with His disciples, with Peter, go read the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. They're really good." [00:16:13] (34 seconds)


"God loves with a perfect love with patience and all of the other fruit that we will be talking about but as I said He is slow to anger so He does actually get angry He does get angry about injustice about corruption about disobedience but His justice also displays in patience 2 Peter 3 verse 9 says the Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness but is patient towards you not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance." [00:17:44] (38 seconds)


"Patiently waiting for answers David in the psalm says how long oh Lord in the long view of scripture again the Israelites waited 400 years for Jesus so about four generations without any sign or answer what do we do when we wait patiently for the Lord but He doesn't answer or He does but it is wait Joseph in prison where he waited and was put away without any reason Job waiting and yet never actually getting the answer as to why all the things happened in his life." [00:19:24] (38 seconds)


"I think the older I get the more like Psalm 37 I can relate to I have been young and now I am old yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken. I can have faith and space to wait for God because I can look back and see how God has come through and now He has answered even after long sets of time and trusting that when He hasn't answered that He's got it." [00:22:10] (29 seconds)


"As someone who would have and can still be quite an impatient person I really have to dig deep sometimes I really have to ask the Lord Lord I really need you to help me right now I really need you to give me the grace and the patience that I need right now especially for the people that I live in very close proximity to you." [00:24:57] (21 seconds)


"What if we as the people of Christ reflected His presence in the fruit that we displayed what effect would it have in our families in our communities in our schools in our workplaces if we actively pursue patience if we were all collectively walking in step with the Spirit because here's the thing one of us on our own can make an impact absolutely have a ripple effect but a whole community like this we could change the world." [00:31:14] (36 seconds)


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Transcript
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