Most of us are waiting for something. We’re waiting for dreams to come to life, prodigals to return home, and babies to sleep through the night. Some of us are waiting for God to heal our bodies or the bodies of our loved ones. Waiting on God is never easy. Let’s dig into some reassuring Bible verses about patience together today.
Bible Verses About Patience
The Bible has a lot to say about waiting on God and being patient.
1. Romans 12:12, ESV
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
We all face troubled times in life. Meanwhile, God calls us to press through these times with patience.
He will use the difficult times in your life to help you grow in maturity. Your role is to be patient in the process.
2. Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
God calls us to patiently endure as we work out our callings. He also promises that he will reward us with fruit for our service if we don’t give up.
3. Isaiah 40:31
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Wait on the Lord, and he will give you strength. Trust in the promise found in Isaiah 40:31.
4. Hebrews 10:36
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
God promises to reward those who do not give up. Keep following where he is leading you.
5. Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
God’s timing is always perfect. Be strong, take heart, and keep waiting for him. His ways are not our ways, but he will never abandon his children. He also promises to finish what he starts (see Phil. 4:6).
6. Romans 5:4
And endurance produces character, and character produces hope. . .
Keep pressing on.
God is building your character. As your character grows, God will also fill you with his hope.
7. Isaiah 30:18
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.
Remind yourself that God is looking for ways to show kindness and mercy to you. He might seem silent, but this does not mean he isn’t working in your life.
8. James 5:7
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
At times, it is difficult to see the Lord’s hand in our lives.
However, just as a farmer waits for his crops to arise through the soil, God will reveal himself in our lives.
How to Wait on God
In addition to standing on God’s Word, here are a few things to do when God makes you wait:
1. Keep watching for God.
Waiting on the Lord is not to be a passive activity.
This is where many of us get waiting wrong.
We are to cast our cares upon the Lord, bring our petitions to him, and then wait. But this doesn’t mean we sit and twiddle our thumbs while we wait inactively for God to do something.
Instead, after bringing our requests to God, we are to stay engaged with him, watching for where he is moving so that we might respond, listening to what he might want to speak, and remaining alert to what he might want to show us.
The command to pray without ceasing reminds us to pray while we wait. Don’t leave the conversation. Stay engaged. Watch for what God is doing.
When we remain engaged with God during times of waiting, we often unlock doors that lead us closer to him. We learn the way he thinks and moves as we watch for him. We find ourselves hungry for the food of His Word, and when we chew on it like our lives depend on it, it changes us.
God wants to use our times of waiting as bridges that lead us closer to his heart. The gateway across the bridge is always open. He leaves the response in our hands.
2. Keep working.
God has called us to keep working while we wait.
The woman who believes she is called to speak to the masses in crowded auditoriums can faithfully lead three women in her living room while she waits for her dream to come to life.
The woman who wants to open her own bakery can put her whole heart into her job behind the back counter of the local grocery store.
There is power in working while we wait.
3. Find something to enjoy while you wait.
Hope deferred really can make the heart sick.
This makes waiting painful for most of us. The greater the dream we’re waiting for, the deeper it’s threaded through our hearts, and the longer it’s been there, the more it hurts to wait.
For this reason, it’s important to find ways to enjoy life while we wait on God. Start a gratitude list. Put something fun on the calendar. Create space to enjoy a hobby once a week.
Two More Powerful Bible Verses About Patience and Trust:
There is always something to be grateful for, even in seasons of waiting. The apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote these words: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11).
Whatever you’re waiting for today, have hope. Above all else, we cling to the promise that we never wait alone (Deuteronomy 31:6).
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Stacey Pardoe
Featured Image by Pexels from Pixabay
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