The Patience of God

Are you quick to dismiss people? Do you tend to place people in the lost cause category? People what have no hope. Are they too far gone to be corrected? Are they beyond help?

Then patience may be a weak point. God did not quickly dismiss Adam and Eve when the world was plunged into sin in Genesis 3. Think about it, have you experienced the patience of God?

In the Scriptures, we can note the patience of God in his dealings with sinners. God would not destroy them until He gave them a way to course-correct their actions. He waited.

“We define the divine patience as that power of control which God exercise over Himself, causing Him to bear with the wicked and forebear as long in punishing them”
(Pink, 1975)

If you have read the prophets of the Old Testament, it’s a record of God’s patience. The prophets called for the people to repent (God’s warning). We know what happened, and they did not listen to God.

“The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In the gale and the storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.” Nahum 1:3 NASB

Over and over again in Scripture, God always gave a warning about sin. He waited. Then the punishment was given if there was no repentance. But, of course, we have seen when this was not always true 100% of the time, and God punished quickly. i.e., Ananias and Sapphira. But Ananias and Sapphira, I am sure they, knew better, and when confronted with the truth (God’s warning), they decided to disobey and were punished.

One may not realize the patience of God is displayed in the world today. Therefore, we could also call the patience of God His longsuffering.

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 NASB.

Are you patient with the people in your life? Is there someone that needs to see the love of Christ, but you have no patience for them? Don’t forget about your own sinful heart and how God’s patience has been given to you.

“God is slow to anger because he is great in power” Stephen Charnock.

Bibliography
Pink, A.W (1975) The Nature of God