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“If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience? Or does he gives them the opportunity to be patient?”
God as portrayed by Morgan Freeman in the movie Evan Almighty

For the past several months I have been busily planning and writing for my upcoming video sermons. And during that time I have been looking into what camera I will use to film these video sermons. Well, I am pleased to announce that I have finally, after months of research and deliberation, chosen the camera I will use to record my upcoming video sermons. It’s the Panasonic DMC-GH1. It has everything I need and I’m looking forward to filming with it. However, I just found out this morning that the camera is one of the most sought after cameras on the market right now and that no one has it in stock. Not only that but most places are taking pre-orders for their next stocks that will not be shipping until late August.

It’s just not fair. I finally get around to making a pro-active choice and the darn thing isn’t even readily available. So I guess I’ll just have to wait.

I’m not good at patience. And the reason I’m not good at patience is threefold: 1) I don’t like to wait, 2) Some people annoy me and wind me up the wrong way, and 3) Some things need to be done now, not left for another day… did I say I don’t like to wait?

I think if we’re all being honest there’s not too many of us that like to be patient. Patience. One small word that can mean so much. Dictionary.com describes patience as:
1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
2. an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
3. quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.

There is a great example of patience in an old traditional Hebrew story:
Abraham was sitting outside his tent one evening when he saw an old man, weary from age and journey, coming toward him. Abraham rushed out, greeted him, and then invited him into his tent. There he washed the old man’s feet and gave him food and drink. The old man immediately began eating without saying any prayer or blessing. So Abraham asked him, “Don’t you worship God?”
The old traveler replied, “I worship fire only and reverence no other god.”
When he heard this, Abraham became incensed, grabbed the old man by the shoulders, and threw him out his tent into the cold night air.
When the old man had departed, God called to his friend Abraham and asked where the stranger was. Abraham replied, “I forced him out because he did not worship you.”
God answered, “I have suffered him these eighty years although he dishonors me. Could you not endure him one night?”

Think about this, God is extremely patient with us. We are oftentimes shallow, prideful, vengeful, gossipy, hateful, lustful, and sinful. We make mistakes all the time. We run from God’s will. We sit on our bums when people all around us are hungry to hear of a Father who loves them. We work hard in our jobs earning money to buy things that will one day rot and rust away, and yet we fail to build up treasures in heaven. We put much effort into climbing up onto mole hills and focusing on minor issue that in the big picture really don’t amount to much, all the while forsaking the One who demands all of our focus.

And yet he is so patient with us.

In the movie Evan Almighty, God tries to convince the main character Evan Baxter to build an ark. First some tools turn up on his doorstep. Then tons of lumber is dropped off at his house. God then tries speaking with Evan face to face, explaining that he is asking Even to build an ark because he loves him. When that fails Evan is stalked by wild creatures including birds, skunks, beavers, and sheep, all in two’s. When that fails to get Even to build the ark God supernaturally causes Evans beard to grow faster than he can shave, his hair to grow long, and even sends him some robes to wear. And through it all Evan fights God all the way. At one point God turns to Evan and asks, “How long do want to do this? I have all eternity.”

As a minister of the Gospel I have heard many people say things like, “I am so fed up with them,” “I have waited long enough,” “I can’t take it anymore,” and even, “I’ve waited on God long enough!” And I have witnessed firsthand as people, good people, have given up, some even walking away from the faith. Why? Because they lost hope, and the end product of losing hope is always to give up.

The Bible tells us that “Love is patient” (1 Cor. 13:4). I like how The Message translation puts it, “Love never gives up.” Love never gives up! Isn’t that good news? If this is true then God (remember God is love) will never give up on us. That’s about the best news any one of us could hear today… God never gives up!

But as many things in Scripture this is a two way thing. In the same way that God loves us we are told to love one another. Not just to like or put up with one another but to love as God has loved us. That means that as God is patient and never gives up on us we are encouraged to love one another and never give up loving. It’s going to be hard as there are people and situations that will annoy us, and there is always the temptation to run ahead of God instead of waiting for his leading and guidance, but no one ever said it was going to be easy. And I think patience is one of the hardest things for us as flawed beings to accept, understand, and act upon.

There are no easy answers. In fact we read in Scripture that the purposes of God often develop slowly because His grand designs are never hurried. The problem is we live in a world where we can get everything fast. We say, “I need it now because I’m in a hurry,” forgetting that God isn’t, that he’ll do things in his timing.

So for all of us that need to work on patience I pray that God will make a way for us to endure whatever we need to endure – to be patient with those who would normally make us pull our hair out, to not give up when things look bad, to pursue God and his will in the hope and knowledge that he will never leave us of forsake us. And above all let us never give up trusting that God knows best and he will bring to pass whatever he wills in his timing.

Christian St John M.Div, BChM, ACS
July, 2009

Picture by Felipe G

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