P2 God’s Patience

Reading: 2 Peter 3:9, 15

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent…15 And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved… (2 Peter 3:9, 15 NLT)

As I read this, I thought about Peter, now an old man who had served his master Jesus faithfully for many years. I’m sure he often thought about the early days, following Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, traveling through Samaria, learning to accept people who were different from him, learning that Jesus’ ways and Peter’s ways weren’t the same and that Peter’s ways had to change. I thought about the many times the Gospels record how patient Jesus was with Peter. I thought about the Holy Spirit’s patience with Peter that time in Joppa, as he prepared him in a vision to go and take the Good News to Cornelius, a Gentile Roman military commander in Caesarea.

Jesus was so patient with Peter, often correcting but never rejecting him! The Holy Spirit was so patient with Peter, carefully preparing him to move out of his comfort zone! Is that why he was so conscious of God’s patience? Is that why he knew deep in his heart that when God seems slow in fulfilling his promises, and that when Jesus seemed slow in returning as he had promised, it’s because of love?

When God doesn’t act as and when we expect him to, it’s not that he’s forgotten or that he’s ignoring us, and it’s not that he doesn’t care. When God seems slow to act, it’s because he’s patiently giving people time to change. He’s giving people time to see the truth and respond in repentance and faith. When God doesn’t wrap things up in a tidy package when we think he should, it’s because he cares about a lot of people we don’t even know, and he cares about us, and he’s giving us all a little more time to get our hearts right and grow a little more into the likeness of Jesus.

God has been so patient with me! The stories I could tell of how slow I’ve been to hear and see and respond! But here I am all these years later, still on the journey. I’m so grateful for God’s patience with me! Think of some of the times God’s been patient with you. Doesn’t it fill your soul with gratitude?

Prayer:

Father, Please flood our hearts with memories of the times you’ve been patient with us. May we re-appreciate your patience, re-commit to follow your lead, and re-determine to be more patient with our friends and our enemies. For the Kingdom’s Sake!