The Power of Patience Part 2
4 compelling reasons to trust God’s timing
Ashley Daugherty
Let’s continue our journey into the heart of patience in Part 2 of this blog series and examine the transformative power it holds. (If you missed Part 1, it’s available here.)
Psalms 105:19 says, “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character” (NLT). Every one of us has experienced an “until the time came.” And during that time, the Lord is continually testing our character.
When we rush with what He’s preparing in us or try to force something in our own timing because of impatience, we will miss out on all that He’s planned.
You might find a shortcut and get there. But is it sustained? Because when I read the stories of the Bible of people doing great things, God didn’t care about them just getting there. He cared about them staying there. There are no shortcuts to perseverance. Joseph’s power to wait came through the consistent choice to trust God.
I’m never so close to God that I’m not going to have to continue to make consistent choices. Wouldn’t it be amazing if once we gave our lives to Christ, everything was automatic?
There are so many benefits to being patient.
- Patience produces character.
Romans 5:4 says, “And patience produces character, and character produces hope” (NCV).
If I want what God has for me, I have to be willing to value what He values. He values endurance; He values not giving up. He values the process and dependency on Him.
2. Patience gives peace.
“Patient people have great understanding, but people with quick tempers show their foolishness” (Proverbs 14:29 NCV). If we want a sound mind, it could mean practicing patience for less confusion. The devil uses impatience to push us to make stupid decisions.
When I’m impatient, I’m rude. When I’m impatient, I’m a mean mommy, a mean wife and can be a mean leader. But when I choose to be patient and receive the patience that God has with me, I can extend patience to other people.
3. Patience reveals the power of a firm identity in Christ.
Psalms 37:7-8 says, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil” (NIV).
Sometimes you see the people that you would call wicked, whether they’re actually wicked or they’re just annoying to you. I don’t know. Only God knows. They’re succeeding in their ways, and it stirs up anxiety and impatience in us.
Patience reveals the power of a firm identity in Christ. When Jesus was on the cross, He waited patiently for God to vindicate Him. He didn’t go declaring His innocence. He didn’t try to fix everybody’s opinion. He was silently declaring and even whispering to the guy next to Him, forgiveness and that it is finished.
We’re waiting patiently on God to move on our behalf. The cross is such a powerful display of waiting on God, preserving our energy and our focus for what really matters.
4. Patience produces power.
Two men on the road to Damascus were leaving Jerusalem because they were impatient (Luke 24:13). It’s hard to wait, especially when we don’t understand, or it doesn’t make sense.
Jesus’ instructions to His followers were to wait in Jerusalem for the One the Father promised to send (Acts 1:4). Jesus walked with the men a little ways, but they didn’t recognize Him. When He revealed Himself to them, they went back to Jerusalem and joined all the other disciples. They received power from the Holy Spirit that was promised.
The School of Preparation
We don’t really know how and what God uses to prepare us until we are a little bit farther away from the school of preparation. I don’t know how much Joseph was truly aware of how slavery, prison, the palace – all those things – were his school, until later.
The more we’re aware of God’s ways, the quicker we are to be attentive to how He works. We begin to pay more attention. The more I’ve grown in this revelation, the more patient I am with the dreams and the passions on my heart, and the more joyfully submitted I am to the seasons of God on my life.
God has given me a vision. He can give one to you too. It’s not some supernatural thing. It’s just being attentive to the way God works. I had no idea I was going to marry Paul and lead this church during the years I spent serving as an intern. I see now the hours and the years of schooling I went through, but I had no idea what God had in store.
We don’t have to have everything spelled out for us to pay attention. We’d like to know how long it’s going to take to build the character needed to sustain, not just you, but your families and your influence. My season of life has shifted multiple times again.
Everything that God is calling you to right now is preparation, not just for what you will inherit here on this earth, but what you will inherit in Heaven.
I don’t really know all that God saw as preparation for my mom when she stepped into eternity and how it relates to what she was entrusted with in Heaven. But if I could guess, I would say that God is still using her gifts for details and hospitality. I could see Him using the way my mom stewarded meal prep for our family here on earth as preparation for stewarding gatherings around the dinner table up in Heaven.
What God has us stewarding here on this earth doesn’t stop when we go to Heaven.
If there is still breath in your lungs, there is something that He is still using to prepare you for – not just here on earth, but in Heaven.
Oh God, that we would have the patience required to walk in all that you planned for us here on this earth and in heaven church, there is power.
There are things that you’re waiting on – dreams and desires – but the thing that you need to wait for is found in God. We get weary, burned out and want to throw in the towel because we’re waiting on the things of God, apart from the help of the Holy Spirit.
We gain power from waiting on God.
Even Jesus, the Son of God grew up (Luke 2:52). He came as a baby and had to walk through the maturing process from baby to toddler, teen to an adult. What makes us think we can bypass maturity stages? God didn’t wave a magic wand and say, “You’re the son of God, and I need you to hurry up and get to the cross.”
There was a time for the prophecy to be fulfilled, and maturity and patience were needed. God cared about that for Jesus, and He cares about that in your life as well.
In the grand story God is writing with our lives, patience leads us to our true potential in Christ. My prayer for all of us is to wholeheartedly embrace patience, to trust in the process God has lovingly crafted for us, and in doing so, become the best versions of ourselves He has called us to be, both here on earth and into eternity.
Ashley Daugherty
As a dynamic speaker, Ashley Daugherty has a passion for people to know Jesus and have a life-changing encounter with Him. Ashley and her husband, Paul, lead a thriving community of believers at Victory Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a mission to connect people to God and each other, equip them to fulfill their God-given purpose, and empower the church to reach out locally and globally with God’s love. In addition to her ministry work, Ashley is a devoted wife and mother of five. Follow Pastor Ashley on Insta. https://www.instagram.com/ashleyhopedaugherty/?hl=en
https://victory.com/