Without both faith and patience, we will have neither patience nor faith.
If you intend to be a person of strong faith, who receives answers to prayers—a person established in faith—then you must carefully monitor your expectations about when God will answer.
You do have expectations, of course, and they determine whether you will easily become discouraged or even disillusioned, whether you will give up when the answer is delayed and collapse into a malaise of unbelief, or instead persevere in confident faith.
God tells us what our expectations should be regarding the time frame of the answer we seek.
Hebrews 6:12 and 15 says we should be “imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises…. And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.”
Faith and patience
A person of strong faith must be one of great patience. We must be willing to wait for God. It is through faith and patience we inherit the promises.
This is so because from our perspective, God usually is slow in answering prayer. Abraham’s life is exhibit A in this regard, and he is called the father of all who believe. In many ways his life is the model of the faith life. So our expectation should be that patience will probably be required.
Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”
Hebrews 10:36 says, “You have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”
So God’s Word itself, which urges us to believe God and stand on his promises, tells us that God often requires those who believe his promises to wait much longer than expected for their fulfillment.
Proficient at patience
This is not a failing on God’s part, of course. He has wise and good reasons for his timing in all things. He has a plan for us that is vast in scope and literally stretches into eternity, while we have one situation in view.
Naturally the greater our pain, need, and desire, and the louder the clock ticks its reminder that we seemingly are running out of time, the harder it is to wait for God. But that is what faith requires. Faith keeps waiting for God even when it is too late, even when it seems our faith has been futile. The trademark of successful faith is patience.
So get good at patience. Be a master at waiting for God. As time passes and the answer delays, become proficient at growing stronger in faith over time rather than dwindling in faith over time. Never forget or abandon your requests of God.
It is natural to think that the longer the answer takes to appear, the less likely it is that your faith will be answered. Reject that notion! The likelihood that God will answer depends on his Word and your confidence in it, not how much time has passed!
On the road
My approach to long road trips has changed dramatically from what it was when I was young. Then I approached a five-hour trip as though I could somehow turn it into a two-hour trip by pushing the speed limit, urgently passing anyone going slower than I, limiting rest stops and keeping them as short as possible, and maintaining a hurried mindset.
Now I google to see the expected travel time and embark on the trip with that time frame in mind—with minimal stress. My expectation is that the trip will take some time, and I set my mind to patiently drive that long.
When I pray for something, I generally believe the prayer will be answered in the short term, and I think that is the right approach. But when that does not happen, I reset my expectations and settle in for the long haul. I make up my mind to wait for God patiently. I approach that faith situation like a long road trip.
Takeaway
So stand firm. Have biblical expectations about God’s time frame. The Lord is often slow and long. He is patient, and expects you to be patient. He often requires those who believe his promises to wait much longer than expected for their fulfillment.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)