Patience in Tribulation

Introduction: A golfer on a driving range slices another ball and says, “I’m losing my patience.” With that, he quits and walks away, or he walks up to the ball, forgets about stance, grip, and swing, and just whacks it as hard as he can.

When we lose patience, we are on the edge of giving up. We have tried too hard for too long, and we are beginning to think that it doesn’t matter anymore, so we do one of two things: we walk away from a situation, or we do whatever we want. Patience is easy to lose.

That’s why Paul’s words are a blessing for us today. Paul reveals that patience is a gift from God. It isn’t something we have from birth, and it doesn’t come naturally to us. Patience is a gift, renewed by God. In Romans, Paul reveals the bounty of God’s mercies. Formerly, we were enemies of God, but now, because of Jesus Christ, we are the people of God. God’s mercy not only forgives our sins, but it also transforms our lives (v 1). God’s mercy renews our patience in tribulation.

Paul knows that when we undergo tribulation, it is hard not to lose patience. After all, he is not talking about the trials of learning to play golf. Paul is speaking of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh fighting against us, seeking to take away the comfort of our salvation. Being a Christian is difficult. Confessing God’s Word to a world that doesn’t want to hear is hard. Showing love to one’s enemies, holding fast to what is good, practicing mercy, fighting for justice, living in peace with others—these things are hard and, at times, we find ourselves saying, “I’m losing my patience.” We are tempted to give up and walk away or to do as we please. If you have ever found yourself falling into either of those errors, listen to Paul, because he has a word of encouragement for you. God in his mercy renews our patience. Standing firm in his grace, we neither walk away nor do what we want. Instead, we are patient in tribulation.

God Strengthens Us in Tribulation, Offering Us Prayer and Hope.

I. Patience in tribulation does not walk away but remains constant in prayer.

One challenge to patience is the temptation to give up. We are tempted to lay down our arms in battle, to believe that nothing is worth this suffering, to feel that no one cares anyway and, therefore, to walk away.

A. Biblical example: This temptation could have overtaken Jeremiah.

1. Because of God’s Word, Jeremiah is a laughingstock (Jer 15:15), a term used earlier of God’s Word (6:10); Jeremiah prophesies destruction, but nothing seems to happen. His loneliness (15:17) leads to complaint and accusation against God (15:18); Jeremiah even questions God’s earlier promises (the water imagery in v 18 contrasts with God’s promise in 2:13).

2. Yet in the midst of tribulation, Jeremiah does not walk away. He comes before God in prayer, and in mercy God answers. God responds to Jeremiah’s suffering prayer with a promise of steadfast mercy (15:20).

B. Contemporary example: Offer an example of tribulation today, revealing the sin of turning away from God in the midst of trial.

1. God, in Christ, has come and endured our trials, suffering for our sin and opening the way of salvation to us. God’s great Good News to us is that because of Christ, he is in relationship to us, invites our prayers, listens to our cries and our anger when we are in the midst of suffering, and even gives us his Spirit to intercede for us (Rom 8:26–27).

2. In the midst of tribulation, therefore, we do not walk away but trust in God’s mercy and call out to God in prayer. We are patient in tribulation by being constant in prayer.

II. Patience in tribulation does not take control but rejoices in hope.

Another challenge to patience is the temptation to take control. We want to impose our will on a situation. We rely on our effort to bring an end to the suffering. Yet, earlier in his Letter to the Romans, Paul reveals that tribulation in God’s hands is part of our growth (5:3–5). Through the endurance of suffering, we are formed in hope; our eyes are turned from this world to the future glory made certain for us in Christ.

A. Biblical example: This temptation overtakes Peter in his reaction to our Lord’s Passion prediction.

1. Peter and the disciples do not have in mind the things of God (Mt 16:23); therefore, they seek to take control of the situation and “save” Jesus’ life.

2. Jesus, however, opens their minds to the things of God (16:21) and reveals how that vision changes life in this world (16:24–25). Rather than be in control of one’s life, one lives in hope, losing one’s life and trusting in the ways of God.

B. Contemporary example: Offer an example of crossbearing in discipleship.

1. Our temptation is to deny the cross and take control of our lives.

2. Yet God’s certain love gives us hope (Rom 8:31–32, 38–39). Even in tribulation, we know that we are kept by grace in the ways of God; therefore, we do not take control. We are patient by rejoicing in hope.

Conclusion: Patience in tribulation is like walking a tightrope and not falling on either side. In the midst of suffering, we don’t walk away and we don’t take control of the situation, relying on ourselves. Instead, we trust in God’s mercy shown to us in Jesus. He is our lifeline in the midst of tribulation. We stand firm in him, speaking to God in prayer and rejoicing in the hope that he works all things together for our good. When Paul encourages us to be patient in tribulation, he puts that encouragement between two other exhortations: rejoice in hope and be constant in prayer. For Paul, these three things belong together: patience, hope, and prayer. In the midst of tribulation, we remember God’s mercies and remain joyful in hope, patient in tribulation, and constant in prayer.

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On January 12, 2007, police officers were investigating the disappearance of a 13-year-old boy. When they went to the apartment of Michael Devlin, they discovered not only the boy who had been missing for four days but also another boy who had been missing for four years. Statistically, the best hope for finding a lost child alive is to find that child within two hours of abduction. To find one boy after four days was great news. To find another child, after four years, was simply amazing. As a tearful stepfather spoke to reporters after his child’s discovery, he offered a picture of how hope and prayer formed a family’s endurance. With their son’s picture posted on signs under the word Missing, the parents never gave up hope. They formed a foundation bearing their son’s name, they helped other parents of missing children, and all the while, they continued to speak out about their missing son. Speaking about their son in the present and hoping in the future, these parents endured for four years. In a much greater way, Paul encourages Christians to endure through hope and prayer. Unlike this family, we have a certain future, made known to us in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Unlike this family, we have an even greater voice given to us by the Father in the gift of prayer. Rejoicing in hope, remaining constant in prayer, we have patience in the midst of tribulation.