Walking with God · How-to guides
How to Be Patient
Patience is not gritting your teeth until things change; it is a steady, gentle endurance that trusts God with the timing. It is a fruit the Spirit grows in you.
Remember God's patience with you
You have been shown enormous patience by God. Remembering His long-suffering toward you softens you toward others.
“The Lord is ... longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish.”2 Peter 3:9, King James Version
Ask the Spirit to grow it in you
Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, not a product of willpower. Ask God to produce it in you and cooperate with Him.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is ... longsuffering, gentleness, goodness.”Galatians 5:22, King James Version
Slow down and pause before reacting
Much impatience is haste. A breath, a prayer, a moment before you respond gives patience room to work.
“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”James 1:19, King James Version
Trust God's timing
Impatience often springs from wanting control. Handing the timing to a good and wise God brings a settled calm.
“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.”Psalm 37:7, King James Version
Let trials train you
God uses waiting and difficulty to build endurance. Meet them as a gym for patience rather than an enemy of it.
“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”James 1:3, King James Version
The One who makes this possible: Jesus
Jesus is endlessly patient with us, bearing with our failures and never giving up on those He loves. His patience is not weakness but strength held gently. As you walk with Him, He shares that same steadiness with you, growing in you the patience you cannot manufacture on your own.
Take the next step with company. You can gather the daily bread for today, spend a few minutes in worship, or bring it all to God in prayer.
Common questions
How can I be more patient?
Remember how patient God has been with you, ask His Spirit to grow patience in you, and slow down before reacting. Trust God's timing and let trials train your endurance rather than resenting them.
Why is patience so hard?
Impatience often comes from wanting control and wanting it now. Patience grows as we surrender the timing to a good and wise God, and as His Spirit produces it in us, since it is a fruit of the Spirit more than a feat of willpower.