The Patience of God

August 7th, 2007 | 1 min read

Sometimes, it is difficult to not be frustrated with God. After all, if he could change me into a saint in the twinkling of an eye, why wouldn't he? In the words of the Psalmist, "How long, Oh Lord?" How long must I toil and struggle and see so little progress in the seemingly interminable war against chaos?

In such moments, it is important to remember the patience of God. In creating the cosmos, he took seven days when he surely could have done it in one. As an artisan, he demonstrates nothing less than the greatest patience and care in his fashioning.

We must not expect transformation for ourselves faster than God wills it, lest we bury ourselves under false hopes and false promises for change.

Matthew Lee Anderson

Matthew Lee Anderson is an Associate Professor of Ethics and Theology in Baylor University's Honors College. He has a D.Phil. in Christian Ethics from Oxford University, and is a Perpetual Member of Biola University's Torrey Honors College. In 2005, he founded Mere Orthodoxy.

Topics:

Christian Life

The Patience of God

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