“For in [this] hope we were saved. But hope [the object of] which is seen is not hope. For how can one hope for what he already sees? But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure.”
Romans 8:24-25 Amplified Bible Classic
Patience is more than a simple idiom, and far more than a basic virtue. It is an attribute of biblical love, a gift from God, and a defining characteristic of faith in action. Have you ever prayed for patience? I have, and the way God has often answered these prayers has been through a mixed bag of unexpected and difficult circumstances—and even more difficult people—placed directly into my path.
Patience is a practice learned through submission to divine sovereignty. We are often led through relentless seasons of patience-building as we navigate the obstacles that provide the skills necessary for Godly obedience. Like self-control, patience is an essential part of the abundant life, because much like faith, it is not something measured by sight. It is an active disposition that allows us to anticipate or endure, composedly waiting for a desired promise or situation to come to pass.
Biblical hope relies on faith to grasp a certainty based on God's infallible promises. While secular culture often waits with uncertain, fruitless hope, the believer waits for what God has promised with confident expectation. This practice of waiting patiently hones the skill of perseverance, which is the strength of our faith as we continue to walk by it and live in it.
“For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised.”
Hebrews 10:36 Amplified Bible Classic
Afflictions and suffering are the refining fire that produces this Godly character within us. As I stated earlier, my prayers for patience have consistently been tested by difficult journeys, which serve as proving grounds for the character of Christ within me. Following the Lord is not like magic; we rarely receive the things we hope for out of nothing or thin air. We gain what we hope for through the concrete reality of trials and lived experience. As this verse eloquently explains, suffering is the genesis of our strength:
“Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.”
Romans 5:3-4 Amplified Bible classi
As we wait in hope, we wait patiently. Love is patient, and the patient heart is the heart that perseveres. This strength is excellent to possess, but it is only acquired through much difficulty. Because of this, we should hold those who live in a patient spirit with the highest esteem, knowing that their skill has only come to them through much tribulation. Even greater still should be our praise unto God for the gift that is patience and perseverance. For without them, we would be unskilled and unable to live lives that are worthy of His calling
Romans 8:24-25 Amplified Bible Classic
Patience is more than a simple idiom, and far more than a basic virtue. It is an attribute of biblical love, a gift from God, and a defining characteristic of faith in action. Have you ever prayed for patience? I have, and the way God has often answered these prayers has been through a mixed bag of unexpected and difficult circumstances—and even more difficult people—placed directly into my path.
Patience is a practice learned through submission to divine sovereignty. We are often led through relentless seasons of patience-building as we navigate the obstacles that provide the skills necessary for Godly obedience. Like self-control, patience is an essential part of the abundant life, because much like faith, it is not something measured by sight. It is an active disposition that allows us to anticipate or endure, composedly waiting for a desired promise or situation to come to pass.
Biblical hope relies on faith to grasp a certainty based on God's infallible promises. While secular culture often waits with uncertain, fruitless hope, the believer waits for what God has promised with confident expectation. This practice of waiting patiently hones the skill of perseverance, which is the strength of our faith as we continue to walk by it and live in it.
“For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised.”
Hebrews 10:36 Amplified Bible Classic
Afflictions and suffering are the refining fire that produces this Godly character within us. As I stated earlier, my prayers for patience have consistently been tested by difficult journeys, which serve as proving grounds for the character of Christ within me. Following the Lord is not like magic; we rarely receive the things we hope for out of nothing or thin air. We gain what we hope for through the concrete reality of trials and lived experience. As this verse eloquently explains, suffering is the genesis of our strength:
“Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.”
Romans 5:3-4 Amplified Bible classi
As we wait in hope, we wait patiently. Love is patient, and the patient heart is the heart that perseveres. This strength is excellent to possess, but it is only acquired through much difficulty. Because of this, we should hold those who live in a patient spirit with the highest esteem, knowing that their skill has only come to them through much tribulation. Even greater still should be our praise unto God for the gift that is patience and perseverance. For without them, we would be unskilled and unable to live lives that are worthy of His calling
