Our world, as most people know, is set up by time zones as the earth rotates around the sun. By doing this it assures that sunrise and sunset are at a similar time for everyone the world over.
There is another time zone that is even greater that ours on earth because it is from above. I call it, 'Due Time'. Peter writes in his letter, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's might hand that He may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6) Basically, 'due time' is an unforseen time when God does what He does. Given this, He cannot be rushed, or impeded, and He certainly cannot be manipulated by any human to act sooner or later that He chooses. Maybe this was why David wrote in Psalm 31:15, "But I trust in you, Lord; I say, 'you are my God'. My times are in your hands..." The sooner we learn this truth that David declared, the easier it is for us to be, "Joyful in hope, patient in afflication, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12
Two other descrptions that apply to God's time zones are both found in the book Galatians. "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son..." Galations 4:4, and "At the proper time, we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up." Galations 6:9. Both of these tell us that God will only do what He is going to do when the time (His Time) is right.
Why we need to be patient with the Lord is because we are hopeful that He will do something we need. Otherwise, there is no need for patience.
The other element to being patient while we are waiting, is understanding that we do not possess the might hand in many (most) situations. Quite simply, God does. Naturally, there are areas where a mighty hand is not needed. In these we can (and are expected) to handle (no pun intended). But there are areas where we just are not capable of handling ourselves and so we can either wrangle up the help of others, or we can trust in God to take care of it. Trusting in God will always work, it just may not be on our time or fit within our schedule.
We can certainly learn a lesson from Abraham, the father of faith. God promised him a son, by his wife, Sarah, but the child was not coming at a time that suited them. Sarah came up with the idea of her husband sleeping with another woman, a surropgate in order to have this heir. Now does that sound like something God would want for any of them? Nope. It was an idea born out of impatience. What would have been best for the couple, and ultimately, the whole world, was if Abraham said to his lovely wife, 'No honey, we are going to wait on God and not trust this little honey (Hagar) to give us a baby boy.'
God knows what is best and when to deliver at the right time. So if you are waiting for God to do something you need, you will need to learn patience. The word patience (makrothumeo) means either to be: slow to quit, to anger, to action or to panic; and long to boil over or become heated. Again, time is involved in the act of waiting (patience).
One of the best and greatest ways we can be humble is by trusting God and then waiting for His might hand. When we trust in ourselves, we become impatient, but if we submit our lives into God's hands, He will handle what we cannot. This humility and trust allows the Holy Spirit to work even more patience within us, which shows more and more humility toward God.
Hang in there. God is working, even when we don't always see it.
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