There are time God’s patience astounds me.  He can hold out forever in fulfilling his promises. He takes his time to provide. He willingly waits for the right moment to endow me with unexpected blessings.

I am thankful for his patience. His slowness to respond at times has allowed my faith to grow. His timeline has given me opportunities to become more like him. To learn patience when I’m in a hurry. To show mercy to someone struggling. To extend grace when I’ve been wronged.

Oh. He could come back to earth at anytime to gather his faithful followers. He could drop everything and rescue us from this dog eat dog world. But he’s waiting.  Patiently waiting. He wants no one to perish. He doesn’t want anyone to waste their eternity in hell. So he’s waiting as long as possible for anyone and everyone to repent and call on his name. 

He’s waiting alright.  God is a patient God. In Hebrews 13:5, God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”’ It’s only through our trust and obedience that God proves this promise to be fact. It isn’t easy. It isn’t simple. But it is. Trust and obey. Believe. Hope. Persevere. And wait. No matter how long it takes. Wait for God to act.

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The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

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Oh. He sees us stumble. He watches us falter. He patiently looks over us as we try to guide ourselves or follow a lesser god. He allows us to try our hand at playing God. He patiently waits for us to come crawling back pleading for mercy and forgiveness. So many times. So often we try to take control. And we fail miserably. He did the same thing for the Israelites. He waited. He was patient. But time ran out for them. 

Today God is patiently waiting for us to surrender to his will. He’s waiting for all to repent and follow him. He’s waiting as long as he can. But time will run out. Today. Tomorrow. Next week. Next year. Who knows? Only a patient God knows. 

Left to our own devices, we are trouble. Lying. Cheating. Stealing. We break every last one of the ten commandments without a second thought. If we can get away with it. 

Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy. ~C.S. Lewis

God allowed the Israelites to run amok for years. Hundreds of years. They pursued their own dreams. Lived their lives according to their plan. They ignored God’s sovereignty. And God watched them go to ruin. He allowed his chosen people to cause generational devastation on themselves.

He’s waiting for us. He’s waiting for us to put aside our distractions. Inappropriate behavior.  Unhealthy relationships. Addictions. Anything that leads us away from him.

He’s waiting for us to be more attracted to him than we are to anything else. He’s waiting for us to hunger and thirst for a godly life. No matter the cost. Even if giving up all those other attractions means losing friends. Changing jobs. Renouncing lifestyles. Giving up all earthly desires to follow him. 

He’s waiting. But for how long? How much longer do we have to get right with God? The clock is ticking. His patience won’t last forever.