Food for the Way: Patience
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:25)
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
Have you ever tried to get the seeds out of a pomegranate? If so, then you already understand why this delicious yet high maintenance fruit is associated with the virtue of patience. Even with your best google search of “pomegranate deseeding hacks,” you will likely end up with sore, juice-stained fingers and might decide that the hoity-toity salad recipe you’re following doesn’t need that many seeds in it.
The work of sanctification feels a lot like this, too. I start out with high hopes for a Pinterest-worthy outcome. However, I quickly find myself frustrated, messy, desperately searching for an easy fix, and then finally admitting defeat as I lower my expectations for personal improvement.
When it comes to transformation as believers, the work is often so slow that it is imperceptible from our own vantage point. Though at the moment of our belief we are identified as holy before the Lord on account of our union with Christ, the evidence of that salvation—that is, the transformation of our minds and wills to mirror the image of our perfect Savior—is a far more gradual and often a less linear process. We need patience, not only with ourselves as we press forward through days of inconsistency and backsliding, but also with the Spirit’s transformative work which rarely aligns with our own plans and timelines.
How do we gain this patience? As Romans 8:25 tells us, patience stems from hope. It is the fuel for our long endurance through the refinement process. When you think about it, the practice of “hoping for what we do not see” sounds, well, crazy. How can I hope for something that doesn’t feel like it’s changing? It seems reminiscent of the popular definition for insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Was Paul off his rocker here?
The truth is, apart from Christ, continued hope is crazy in light of the chronic injustice in our world, the evil works of the devil, and the habitual sins which we each commit. And yet, the Lord instructs us to “fret not.” (Psalm 37) How can we cling to hope when it feels like evil is prevailing all around and even within us?
Let’s follow this insanity-hope-patience trail back to the beginning, but from God’s perspective. The idea of God’s patience with us (2 Peter 3:9) seems like insanity because we keep on sinning; and it would be considered insanity, except for the fact that it’s not our track record that earns forgiveness or even ensures our improvement. It’s the Son’s. He obeyed perfectly on our behalf. And because of him, the Spirit works persistently to help us in our weakness, and the Father continues to deal patiently with us even when we falter.
So, the next time you inadvertently squirt pomegranate juice all over yourself (be it proverbially or literally...or perhaps both), remember whose blood-stained hands are holding ours as we press forward toward sanctification. Have hope in him, and watch expectantly for his redeeming work as you continue in yours.
Therefore my trust is in the Lord,
And not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His word
Upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort,
My comfort and my sweet support;
I wait for it with patience.
“From the Depths of Woe (Psalm 130),” Martin Luther
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CONSIDER
How does the Lord’s patience with sinners impact your own patience with yourself?
As you consider the brokenness in yourself and in the world around you, where specifically do you need the hope that produces patience?
What about the Church? What would change in your relationships within the body of Christ if you had patience with the Lord’s process of transforming his Bride?
Reflect Further
Read Psalm 130 and notice the differences between the urgency that we often feel in our waiting versus the hope that the Psalmist describes.
Artwork by Tess Miller. Additional design by Rachel Lee.
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