Quotes about Patience

How do we view those who do not show love for us? Do we see them as persons for whom Christ died or as persons who make our lives difficult?

How futile and even arrogant for us to seek to determine what God is doing in a particular event or circumstance.

Whatever our particular calamity or adversity may be, we may be sure that our Father has a loving purpose in it.

God owes me no explanation. He has the right to do what He wants, when He wants, and how He wants. Why? Because He's God. . .

So we should never ask why in the sense of demanding that God explain or justify His actions or what He permits in our lives.

You and I may never have the privilege in this life of seeing an obvious outcome of God's plan for us, as Joseph did. But God's plan for us is no less firm and its outcome is no less certain than was God's plan for Joseph.

But God never explains to us what He is doing, or why. There is no indication that God ever explained to Job the reasons for all of his terrible sufferings.

When I say we should never ask why, I am not talking about the reactive and spontaneous cry of anguish when calamity first befalls us or one we love. Rather, I am speaking of the persistent and demanding why that has an accusatory tone toward God in it.

In contrast, there are sixteen whys in the book of Job, according to author Don Baker. Sixteen times Job asked God why. He is persistent and petulant. He is accusatory toward God. And, as has been observed by many, God never answered Job's why. Instead He answered who.

Our first priority in times of adversity is to honor and glorify God by trusting Him.

But even here we must be careful that we are not seeking to satisfy our souls by finding some spiritual "good" in the adversity. Rather we must trust God that He is working in the experience for our good, even when we see no beneficial results. We must learn to trust God when He doesn't tell us why, when we don't understand what He is doing.

The fact is we do not know what God is doing through a particular set of circumstances or events.