Quotes about Patience

A God unbound by our rules of time has the ability to invest in every person on earth. God has, quite literally, all the time in the world for each one of us.

But those of us who follow his conducting through early movements will, with renewed strength, someday burst into song.

We in the body of Christ are called to show love when God seems not to.

For me, at least, guidance only becomes evident when I look backward, months and years later. Then the circuitous process falls into place and the hand of God seems clear. But at the moment of decision I feel mainly confusion and uncertainty. Indeed, almost all the guidance in my life has been subtle and indirect.

Be still and know that I am God." I read in this familiar verse from Psalm 46 two commands of equal importance. First, I must be still, something that modern life conspires against. Ten years ago I responded to letters within a couple of weeks and kept my correspondents happy. Five years ago I faxed a response in a couple of days and they seemed content. Now they want email responses the same day and berate me for not using instant messaging or a mobile phone.

Perhaps the greatest way to give suffering people time is being patient with them — giving them room to doubt, cry, question and work out strong and often extreme emotions.

Not until history has run its course will we understand how "all things work together for good." Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.

That, I believe, is also what faith sometimes requires: trusting God when there is no apparent evidence of him—as Job did. Trusting in his ultimate goodness, a goodness that exists outside of time, a goodness that time has not yet caught up with.

In his list of fruits of the Spirit, Paul includes one that we translate with the archaic word "long-suffering." We would do well to revive that word, and concept, in its most literal form to apply to the problem of long-term pain.

He resisted every impulse to work more rapidly for a lower good.

a hope for healing should be presented realistically. It is just that — a "hope," not a guarantee. If it comes, a joyous miracle has happened. If it doesn't come, God has not let you down.

being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you." (Heb. 13:5)