Worthy Of God’s Patience

A friend of mine wrote this simple six word phrase and it changed my whole perspective on God’s timing.

Before I tell you what she said, let me give you a peek into my sometimes ungrateful heart’s response to God’s patience. I don’t know about you but when I pray or ask God for a solution I want it like...now or least no later than tomorrow, so when God doesn’t answer me when think he should I can tend to complain, and like the children of Israel, tempt God by asking questions laced in selfish suspicion,

“Do you even hear?”

“Do you even care?”

“Do you really love me?”

It makes me cringe that I actually have asked those unfounded and unfair doubt filled questions of my Faithful heavenly Father yet I believe seeing that sometimes ungrateful response to God’s patience is what made my friend’s statement that much more profound.

Soooo what did she say?

Simply this,

“You are worthy of God’s patience”

Now I know, like me, you didn’t soak that in enough the first time so read it again.

“You are worthy of God’s patience”

When I read those words it felt like scales fell off my eyes and suddenly things began to make so much more sense! At the core of my heart I knew I had a good Father but what I had never grasped until that point was that His patience was a gift; a gift he found me worthy of receiving all the time, not just when I thought it was good. You see, I would thank him for his patience when it made sense but would gripe about it when it didn’t. 

Truly understanding for the first time that God can answer any petition, prayer or request I have in a moment BUT doesn’t always do so because He loves me and finds me worthy of so much more than I ask for at times, opened my heart to experience Him in a greater depth than I ever had before.

Now when I find myself beginning to whine about God’s patience I tell myself

• I am worthy of God’s patience

• His patience demonstrates the value He has for me

• His patience demonstrates a heart of tender goodness toward me

• His patience is one way He reminds me I am worthy of His very best

• His patience has nothing to do with anything I have done and everything to do with His own good pleasure of giving only good gifts to His beloved children

And now I want to speak that same truth over you:

• ____(your name)____you are worthy of God’s patience

• His patience demonstrates the value He has for you

• His patience demonstrates a heart of tender goodness toward you

• His patience is one way He reminds you you’re worthy of His very best

• His patience has nothing to do with anything you have done and everything to do with His own good pleasure of giving only good gifts to His beloved children.