Abraham and Sarah are good examples of people who did not exercise patience when needed. The biblical narrative in Genesis 17:1-6,17 talks about an encounter between God and Abraham (at 99 years old). God promised Abraham, I will make you the father of many nations. God changed his name from Abram to Abraham because God had made him the father of many nations.
Whatever God was going to do in Abraham's life, God had already completed it. God had already seen the outcome of Abraham's life before God began the process of making him "the father of many nations."
It is asserted that there is a waiting period between the time of sowing seed and harvesting the fruits. Similarly, there is a waiting period between the time of the promise and the manifestation of that promise. It takes patience to wait. Abraham and Sarah could not wait for God's timing at this point in their lives. Be reminded that in God's own time, He makes all things beautiful (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The beauty of a thing is known when it happens in God's time.
It takes time to develop the virtue of patience. Patience is one of the nine "fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)." Invariably, patience is the inner workings of the Holy Spirit. Other versions of the bible use the word "longsuffering" instead. When the bible talks about patience in this context, it implies endurance, steadfastness, and perseverance. We put these words into practice in our lives when things are tough and challenging.
As humans, we tend to have our way in the face of delays and challenges. Abraham and Sarah could not wait for God's promise in God's timing, but that did not deter God from keeping his promise. However, their impatience brought many challenges that could have been avoided if they had waited on God. If you refuse to wait for God's promise and timing, there is always a price to pay.
We live in a microwave world where the patience to wait for things has waned down. People want things now, and mostly it is now or never. We can no longer wait for anything. Everything nowadays has to be fast, and society has devised a means to meet that need. There is fast money, fast food, fast-track success, and the list goes on and on.
One afternoon I went to JCPenney with my girls to buy some clothes. I was really in a hurry to get back home to attend to my chores. When I entered the store to the first register, there was someone in front of me in the waiting line. I did not have the patience to wait, so I decided to go and make the payment at the next available register.
Unfortunately, every other register had more people in line than the one I initially joined. I went back to the previous register, and to my disappointment, more people had joined the line, and I had to wait longer than if I had stayed there the entire time. Life can be like what I experienced at JCPenney.
If we don't develop the patience to wait for our time, we may have to start all over again, and it may take much longer than before. Abraham and Sarah serve as excellent examples for us. Don't go ahead of God. Be patient and wait for God's time and step into it when it comes around.