Patience. The Bible has many great role models who uphold this fruit of the spirit well, and have been patient and faithful in their situations. 

Today, we’re looking at five of these individuals, and some things we can learn from them.

1. David

In 1 Samuel 16, David was anointed to be king – but it was only around 15 years later that David was actually crowned. In the time between his anointing and coronation, David had:

• Slain Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
• Narrowly avoided being killed by Saul (1 Samuel 18-23)
• Spared Saul’s life twice (1 Samuel 24, 26)
• Married Abigail (1 Samuel 25)
• Been rejected by the Philistines (1 Samuel 29)
• Lost his best friend Jonathan who died along with Saul (1 Samuel 31)
• Fought a war against Ishbosheth and Abner (2 Samuel 2-4)

Through it all, he was patiently waiting for God’s appointment of him as king to come to pass!

If I were David, I would’ve been absolutely exhausted by all the challenges thrown at me, and I would probably have given up on the Lord’s promise.

But David remained faithful to the Lord and was patient while waiting to be crowned. 

We may lose sight of God’s promises to us from time to time – especially if we feel as though the time for these promises to be fulfilled has passed.

However, David’s life reminds us that God’s promises always come to pass at the right time — we need only to be patient and obedient as we wait.

2. Job

Aside from Jesus, out of everyone who had suffered in the Bible, Job arguably faced the worst suffering. 

Job lost everything he had. He lost his children, his animals, his servants, his health, and more.

Feeling that he had tried to live a righteous life and that his suffering was unjust, Job laid out his frustrations before God and questioned Him.

While most of us would empathise with Job’s despair, we might not have the same response towards God if we were placed in a similar situation. 

Even when his wife told him to “curse God” (Job 2:9) and his friends accused him of abandoning God (Job 15:4, Job 20:5), Job continued to serve the Lord and chose not to reject Him (Job 1:20-22). 

And though he had felt wronged, when Elihu pointed out Job’s self-righteousness (Job 33-36), Job humbled himself and repented.

Personally, there have been times when I’ve wrestled with God over whether I “deserve” the “bad things” that are happening to me. Like, most recently, when I performed below my expectations in the A-Level examinations. 

Haven’t I tried to seek first the Kingdom? Haven’t I proven I’ll listen to You? Those were some of the things I had said in my heart.

But the story of Job reminds me God is God and He doesn’t owe me anything. I will never be able to fully understand God’s ways — because He is God — and that is just how it is.  

From Job’s story, we can also learn to be patient and humble before the Lord, trusting that there can be purpose behind suffering. God restored Job’s life in the end (Job 42). Likewise, we can trust that He can do the same for us. 

3. Abraham and Sarah

God promised a 75-year-old Abram (who would later be renamed Abraham) that his offspring would inherit Canaan (Genesis 12) — a promise which was reaffirmed multiple times (Genesis 15, Genesis 17).

But this promise seemed to take forever to be fulfilled, and it must have seemed more and more absurd as time passed that an old couple like Abram and Sarah could still conceive.  

Admittedly, if I were Sarah, I probably would have laughed too (Genesis 18:11-12). I mean, the thought that she would get pregnant after 90 years of barrenness, and that multiple nations would eventually proceed from her womb… it must have seemed ludicrous.

The fact that this promise had yet to be fulfilled after so long must only have made it even more unbelievable.

Abraham and Sarah didn’t wait well. They ended up taking matters into their own hands by getting their servant Hagar to bear a child for Abraham (Genesis 16).

But God still fulfilled His part in the covenant He made with Abraham. God kept His promise that Isaac would be born to Sarah (Genesis 17:15-16), a whopping 25 years after this promise had first been made to Abram. Isaac’s birth was a miracle, and reveals God as powerful and promise-keeping.

God operates on a very different timeline than we do. While we might feel tied down to a “biological clock” here on earth, there is no promise that God cannot fulfil in His time. God never lets us down, so we should continue to wait patiently for His promises to be fulfilled. 

4. Hannah

Similar to Sarah, Hannah also had to be patient as she walked through infertility. In those days, not being able to have a child was something that was looked down upon. 

To make matters worse, Hannah was also ridiculed and provoked by Penninah, her husband Elkanah’s second wife, for her barrenness (1 Samuel 1).

But even though she was in “bitterness of soul,” she took her anguish and afflictions to the Lord in prayer, promising that if He gave her a son, her son’s life would be dedicated to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:8-11). 

While not all of us can relate to the heartbreak of infertility, I’m sure many of us have experienced being kicked when we’re down. 

It’s even more heart-breaking to be teased and ridiculed for our insecurities. It required a lot of grace to withhold retaliation as Hannah did with Penninah, only pouring out her sadness to the Lord.

Hannah was patient for the Lord to work, continuously praying for God to bless her with a child. Thankfully, the Lord indeed “remembered” Hannah, and Hannah bore Samuel.

From Hannah, we can learn to respond with grace to others even amidst our sorrow and to be patient as we pray. 

5. Joseph

Betrayal by his brothers, false accusations and imprisonment – Joseph was placed in so many difficult situations, yet he remained patient through it all.

I’m sure many of us have had experiences where we’ve felt vindicated upon watching people get their comeuppance, but not all of us have the grace and patience to respond the way Joseph did to those who treated him with contempt.

For instance, while it would have been understandable for Joseph not to help his brothers after what they did to him, Joseph chose to be patient with them and gave them grace.

Because of his fear of the Lord, Joseph exercised patience with those who had wronged him, so that he could continue to walk in God’s will and timing for his life. 

From Joseph, we can be encouraged that our patience does pay off, and that God can use it to bring glory to His name.

To those who resonated with the struggles of the characters here, God hears your cries. It’s never easy to exercise patience where we are, so if you know you’ve been trying your best to – good job! He sees your efforts.

May these characters inspire you to persevere and have grace and patience amidst whatever difficult situation we might be facing.