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God is Patient

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Lingqun Qu
Lingqun QuJune 1, 2025

God is patient. He is long-suffering and slow to anger. His patience doesn’t mean he overlooks sin—it shows his deep desire for all to come to repentance.

We are now living in the time of grace. Let us treasure his patience, not take it for granted. Let us clean our hearts from sin, live a repentant life, and patiently wait for the return of our Lord Jesus.

More than that, we encourage you to meditate on God’s patience. This will help us grow in patience towards others. When they make the same mistakes again and again, remember how patient God is with us when we fall short. This truth frees us from the grip of anger and helps to cultivate the fruit of patience in our lives.

His patience

2 Peter 3:9

9The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but he is patient with us, not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

1 Timothy 1:16

16However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life.

Nehemiah 9:30

30Yet many years you put up with them, and testified against them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not listen. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

Romans 2:4

4Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Exodus 34:6

6The LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, “The LORD! The LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth,

He commands us to be patient towards others

Joel 2:13

13Tear your heart and not your garments, and turn to the LORD, your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.

James 5:7-8

7Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain. 8You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Ephesians 4:2

2With all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Proverbs 14:29

29He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a quick temper displays folly.

Proverbs 16:32

32One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; one who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city.

Lamentations 3:25-26

25The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

Illustrations

God Spares Nineveh (Jonah 3:1–10)

1The LORD’s word came to Jonah the second time, saying,
2“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I give you.”
3So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the LORD’s word. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey across.
4Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried out, and said, “In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!”
5The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from their greatest even to their least.
6The news reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7He made a proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, “Let neither man nor animal, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water;
8but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and animal, and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let them turn everyone from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
9Who knows whether God will not turn and relent, and turn away from his fierce anger, so that we might not perish?”
10God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it.

Jesus and Peter’s Denial (Luke 22:31–34, 54–62)

31The Lord said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have all of you, that he might sift you as wheat,
32but I prayed for you, that your faith wouldn’t fail. You, when once you have turned again, establish your brothers.”
33He said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!”
34He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will by no means crow today until you deny that you know me three times.”
54They seized him and led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed from a distance.
55When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat among them.
56A certain servant girl saw him as he sat in the light, and looking intently at him, said, “This man also was with him.”
57He denied Jesus, saying, “Woman, I don’t know him.”
58After a little while someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them!” But Peter answered, “Man, I am not!”
59After about one hour passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Truly this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean!”
60But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
61The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the Lord’s word, how he said to him, “Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.”
62He went out, and wept bitterly.

Prayer

Abba Father,

Thank you for your deep love and patience toward us. Even when we sin against you, you graciously give us time to repent. Thank you for your forgiveness. It is only by your grace alone that we live on this earth and shine for your glory.

Holy Spirit,

May you help us to bear the fruit of patience in our daily life. May you keep reminding us to be patient with others as we have received such great patience from God.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen!

Related Topics

•God is Good

•God is Love

•God is Merciful

•God is the Leader