Love is Patient
Patience is so difficult for us. Especially in today’s economy of speed. We can order groceries online and, if we’re willing to pay for it, have them delivered in an hour. We can stream movies and music instantly; the era of hunting through physical stores for physical copies is long over. And I’ll be honest, when the website on my phone doesn’t load instantly, I start to grumble. Such is the fate of patience in 2026 America. But God’s love isn’t like that. He works on a different time-table than us. According to 1 Corinthians 13:4, God’s love is slow, patient, and kind. That’s great news for us.
In Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God and brought sin into the world, God would’ve been perfectly justified to put them to death right then and there. He’d given them very clear instructions, laid out the consequences, and then they disobeyed. Any earthly king from history would say that following through immediately with the punishment is the right call. But God was patient. He removed his presence from them (which is what made Eden so wonderful) and access to the tree of life (which would’ve made them live forever without God), but he promised a Redeemer who would right their wrong (Gen 3:15). They were impatient. They probably thought the “snake-crusher” would come right away, which is why Eve praises God and names her first son Cain, which sounds like the Hebrew for “I have gotten a man!” Sadly, they were mistaken. Their time-table was different from God’s.
Abraham, the forefather of the Israelites, wasn’t much better. When God promised to make a great nation out of him even though he was old and had no children, he trusted God, and probably thought those children would be born right away. When nothing happened right away, Abraham and his wife Sarah grew impatient and tried to bring about the promise on their own. But God was patient. He gave Abraham a son when he was 100 years old, and through that son, the promised blessing of the whole world (Gen 21:1-7). God’s time-table is different from ours.
The ancient Israelites didn’t learn much from their ancestor. When they left Egypt, they grumbled the whole time in the wilderness. And when they finally did reach the promised land, they doubted God could give it to them! And God was patient with them. He provided for them every step of the way, he preserved their lives, and he empowered them to enter the promised land 40 years later. Later on, when their kingdom was established, the Israelites continually turned to other gods and committed the same atrocities as their enemies. But God was patient. He is slow to anger and abounding in love (Exo 34:6). He sent prophet after prophet to warn them, and he waited hundreds of years before removing them from the land.
When Jesus returned to heaven after his resurrection, he promised his followers, “Surely I am coming soon” (Rev 22:20). Christians across the centuries have all asked, “What’s taking him so long?” The answer is God’s patience. Like Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, and the ancient Israelites, we grow impatient. We want to skip to the fulfilled promise. But God’s time-table is different from ours. He is waiting until every one of his prodigal children comes running home (2 Peter 3:9). He will not return one second before his last child cries out to him in faith. His love, in patience and kindness, is meant to give us more time to lead his children to repentance (Rom 2:4). Christ’s delayed return displays his perfect patience (1 Tim 1:16).
While we await the new heavens and the new earth, let us thank God for his patience and see it as our salvation (2 Pet 3:13-15). After all, if he had returned before you were born, you wouldn’t have known him. He waited for you, just as he is waiting for all of his children. His love is patient even when we are impatient. Trust him to fulfill all his promises and rest in his perfect peace.
Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.