Be Patient With Me
The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’ In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt. Numbers 14:18-19
My wife has many incredible gifts that remind me of her being my better half. One of them is her incredible level of patience. It’s not just our children who are inspired by her seemingly endless supply of hope. It is also with me. There are times that I know I frustrate her when I react in a certain way, or I might become short with her when I need to be more understanding of her plight or situation. Nonetheless, she continues to love me with that same hope, and is understanding rather than reacting harshly. I am thankful for her in many ways, but one that is often overlooked but always appreciated is how patient she is. It reminds me of how God is patience as well.
God is forever patient with us. Today’s verses are about a time where the Israelites become impatient and complained after they had been freed from Egypt. God was filled with righteous anger ready to destroy them. But Moses interceded for Israel, and reminded God of what He had said (I laughed writing that thinking, “God needs a reminder?” 😊). As such, God heard Moses’ plea, and said, “I will pardon them as you have requested.” Numbers 14:20b Now He did punish them for their sins, but they lived to have the generation that would follow them enjoy the land promised to them. As I reflect on my own life, I realized the growth in my journey with God. Yes, there were many failures in it, but He was patient to stay with and protect me until He would reveal Himself. I am truly grateful that He sees me not for how I have failed Him but for what He envisions me to become. All of us are benefactors of that very patience of God. It is not that He does not have expectations for us to grow. However, He is always willing to pick us off the dirt and instill confidence that we can reach that which He aspired us to be. We simply need to repent and be better at submitting to His way.
We should always be thankful for God’s patience. Every year, I write something that I am thankful for with respect to my relationship with God. This year, it is His patience, which is seemingly endless and always filled with aspirations. I certainly would not be writing were it not for it. To put my writing in perspective, I would struggle to write even a paragraph in high school. As you reflect, I am sure there are things God has you doing today that you would never have imagined years ago. But He did because He had the patience to wait for you to grow in the ways needed to become who you are. Let us all be thankful God is as the verse said, “slow to anger and filled with unfailing love.” Where can you reflect on God’s patience with you? How can you apply His patience with you toward others? My prayer is we are thankful for God’s patience with us. Amen.