Is Impatience a Sin?
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It’s a common joke that someone should not pray for greater patience, because God will send them trials they must endure. While everyone has unique temptations and sinful inclinations, most people would agree they need to grow in patience.
While the Bible has much to say about that virtue, it has less to say about the state of being impatient, and some even feel justified in moments of impatience. Is it a sin to experience impatience? Sometimes things are urgent, and people feel they need answers and solutions right away. Is it wrong to want them?
The Bible challenges we who have put our faith in Jesus Christ to be more like our Savior, and to grow in the fruits of the Spirit – one of which is patience. Being impatient is not in alignment with the character exhibited by Christ, and it often leads to wicked or disastrous results.
What Is Impatience?
According to Merriam-Webster, impatience is “having or showing a tendency to be quickly irritated or provoked; intolerant of; restlessly eager.” It is an inability to wait for something and a desire to have what you want right away. Everyone experiences it over the course of their lives.
Often, when people think of impatience, they think of wanting bad things or being selfish, but one of the dangers of impatience is that, often, someone can want something good, but they want it right away. Because someone is being impatient for something positive, they dismiss the feeling and don’t consider if the root is sinful.
Impatience often comes from pride, thinking our plans or timing are better than God’s, even though the Word says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:4). Throughout the Bible, we see instances of people growing impatient while they wait for good things, and sinning as a result of it.
God promised Abraham and Sarah a child, even though they were old and beyond child-bearing years. But He did not bless them right away. As they waited, they grew inpatient. Sarah, then called Sarai, encouraged her husband (who was called Abram at that time) to have a child with her slave Hagar. Also inpatient, Abram agreed.
Unfortunately, Sarai was unhappy when Hagar had a child, and it created problems for the whole family, as recounted in Genesis 16-21. Though as adults the brothers got along well enough to bury their father together, eventually Ishmael’s descendants would become enemies of Israel, Isaac’s descendants.
The 10 Commandments
The Lord called the descendants out of 400 years of slavery in Egypt through mighty acts, and then helped them miraculously cross the Red Sea on dry land. He brought them to Sinai to make them His people and give them the Law. To this end, Moses went to the top of the mountain for forty days. While it must have been anxiety-inducing to wait for forty days while the presence of God sat atop the mountain, the Israelites were instructed to wait for Moses to return.
Instead, as recorded in Exodus 32, they melted down the riches God blessed them with in Egypt and made a false idol – a golden calf. As a consequence, Moses destroyed the first set of tablets containing the 10 Commandments, a plague fell upon the people of Israel, and many died for their sins.
King Saul
King Saul was the first king over Israel. During his reign, he fought many battles to defend Israel’s borders. After one battle with the Philistines, he waited for the prophet Samuel to come in order to lift up a sacrifice to the Lord. It took Samuel seven days to arrive, but Saul grew impatient, and conducted the sacrifice himself. This displeased the Lord. Because of this act, God withdrew the blessing of the kingdom from Saul and his descendants. He turned His eyes to another family, David’s, as recorded in 1 Samuel 13.
What Are the Fruits of Impatience?
The Bible says, “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention” (Proverbs 15:18). Impatience can lead to many negative outcomes.
It can lead to physical injury as a result of not paying attention, rushing ahead, or missing an important piece of information.
It can lead to miscommunication because no one asked appropriate questions, or didn’t take the time to explain or listen.
It can lead to long-term consequences, such as when Saul’s descendants lost their birthright to the kingdom of Israel.
It can lead to damaged property due to hasty action or lack of understanding.
Decisions made in impatience can lead to serious consequences not just for the person who acts, but also the people around them.
Bible Verses about Patience
Some of the verses in the Bible that encourage patience include, but are not limited to:
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land” (Psalm 37:7-9).
“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit” (Ecclesiastes 7:8).
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3).
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
A Prayer for Patience
Holy Father,
Thank you for your great, enduring patience with us. We often rebel against you, even after we have surrendered to You and have put our faith and hope in the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ. Without patience, You would have poured out Your judgment long ago.
We often struggle with impatience, wanting things to go our way right away, needing answers as soon as possible, and wanting other people and even You to operate on our timeline. We know that isn’t Your character, not the model set by Jesus, and not the will of the Holy Spirit. Help us to grow in patience, and to overcome our impatience. Lead us down the path where we grow closer to you, and further away from our former worldly selves. We want to be sanctified into people full of peace and patience, thereby better glorifying You and loving others.
In the Name of Jesus, I pray,
Amen.
The most important reason to be patient, especially as a believer, is because God is patient with us, longsuffering, waiting for people to turn to Him.
“But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16).
God waits for people to turn to Him for salvation and eternal life, and then He holds the hand of the believer, giving them the Holy Spirit so they can become more like Him, even though they stumble and fall. Impatience is sinful as it is the opposite of God’s character, and leads to destructive outcomes, and often, to greater sin.
Sources
Manser, Martin. Zondervan Dictionary of Bible Themes. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999.
Wright, Christopher. Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit Growing in Christlikeness. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2017.
Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer who uses her passion for God, reading, and writing to glorify God. She and her husband have lived all over the country serving their Lord and Savior in ministry. She has a blog on graceandgrowing.com.