A Prayer for Patience: How It’s Important in Christian Life

Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Life every day is a constant struggle. All of us seek ways to illuminate the darkest corner of our lives through the things we see, the people we talk to, the food we eat, and interesting places we visit, just to remind us of our purpose.

Along the journey, we lose our patience and sometimes ask ourselves, “Why do we need to go on?”. As the Bible says in Galatians 6:9, “Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary.”

Whenever we think of God, we think of His Kingdom, and we surely desire to go to Paradise with God. However, the way to eternal salvation is narrow, and patience is one of the important virtues every soul needs. It is our weapon to be with God.

We’ve written some prayers for patience which we hope would help us cope with the daily obstacles in our lives. There’s no doubt that we will come across instances in which we will need tons of patience and understanding.

Short Prayers for Patience

Patience is greatly needed to stay calm; here are some prayers that may help us champion the obstacles the world throws at us.

Painful Things

Grant me the grace of patience, Lord God in Heaven, to bear the painful things in my life. They are nothing in comparison to what You did for me on the cross when You freed me from my sins. May the minor annoyances and inconveniences that I bear with patience bring glory to Your name. Amen.

Heavy Load

Dearest Jesus, when in times I become impatient with what I do, fill me with Your Most Holy Spirit to become patient. Help me to keep going when the load I carry feels heavy and when my soul gets weary while following You. With the virtue of patience that comes from You, may you take me to the path of holiness like the angels and saints in heaven. Amen.

Endless Tasks

Almighty God, grant me the gift of patience to carry on my tasks at work that seem endless, chores that are tedious, and duty to my family that is constant. Make me embrace these little sufferings with all my heart and soul. Help me get through each day with the knowledge that I exist because of Your love and patience. Amen.

Gloomy Heart

Heavenly Father, I awoke today with a gloomy heart because I do not want to visit my patients. I don’t want to go to work. I’m fatigued from caring for them, and I’d like to stop. My body is in desperate need of sleep. I am deeply embarrassed and beg for forgiveness. You are always there for me, I know. You never get weary of me, you never abandon me, and you never stop loving me. So, I humbly pray to You, God, to grant me all the patience I need to do what is required of me, not just out of obligation, but out of love, as well as the patience to suffer the most difficult situations that come with this job. May I find satisfaction in caring for the sick and blindly following Your commands. In Jesus’ name, I pray, make me an instrument to rescue lives. Amen.

Unwell

Dear Jesus, I’m praying for patience today since I can’t seem to wait much longer to get better. I’ve been unwell for so long that I’m getting frustrated when I have to take my medicine, talk to physicians and have tests done, and when I have to lay in bed all day feeling useless. I don’t want to burden my family or the person who is responsible for my care. It’s not easy, and I can see how much it bothers them to see me in this state every day. At this moment, I humbly ask for patience so that I will not be frightened or nervous, but rather trust Your Mercy and hope for recovery in line with Your will. Amen.

Stormy

Thank you, God, for a great morning. I enjoy hearing the birds in the sky, the trees swaying in the breeze, the happy children running around the park, and even the sound of a car engine going. But I can’t at the moment since I’m in the middle of a storm that doesn’t seem to be going away. Give me the patience to wait for the storm to pass, trusting that another lovely day will follow. Amen.

Troubled man behind the sad face illustration

Teacher

I give you honor and glory, Heavenly Father. Today is a new day with a new chance to do good. Grant me the patience to fulfill my position as a teacher by instilling in my students not just academic knowledge, but also life lessons that they can apply as they mature. May I be an instrument of love and kindness to them, as well as a model of patience and humility. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Didn’t Get The Job

Dear Jesus, today was a difficult day. I dressed up for a job interview and got up early. After waiting for the interviewer, I was informed that I did not get the job. I’m not going to stop till I’m hired. I beg you, Jesus, to give me your patience and confidence that your plan is far better than mine. Bless me and make it possible for me to wait patiently for Your will to be done. Amen.

Child

We beseech You, Father in Heaven, to grant us patience while we wait for You to bless us with a child. You know how much we’ve yearned to be good parents, to love and care for the child You will choose for us. Help us to have more faith in You and trust Your timing. We pray for strength and patience, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Homework

Dearest Jesus, I humbly pray and ask for patience to finish my homework. My favorite cartoon show is soon to start, but my teachers assigned many tasks. Writing has worn my hand out, and reading has made my eyes dry. But I’m confident that these will help me gain wisdom, and that I’ll be able to watch my favorite TV show another day. I do not want to offend you by disobeying my parents. Guide me and send your angels to watch over me while I accomplish what I have to do before I go to bed. Amen.

The Importance of Patience in Christian Life

As the Bible says in James 5:7-8, “Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” Patience is always needed in our daily lives. Without patience, we will not be able to accomplish anything. As we pray, we ask for many things from God like good health, prosperity, a good career, wonderful life partners, and so on. Consequently, we are all hopeful that God will grant our prayers and sometimes, we are to in hurry to be heard as soon as we finish saying our prayers. Indeed, we get a little impatient and tired, and ask Him again and again. Yes, God is God, and nothing is impossible with God. But we also have to be reminded that God has better plans for us if He hasn’t answered our prayers yet. He will give us not the ones we ask of Him, but the ones that will bring us closer to Him and the ones that will give us not only happiness but immense joy. Thus, this can only be achieved if we have patience. With faith, comes patience.

Situations When Our Patience Is Tested

There are countless times when our patience is tested. It is in our nature that we long for quick answers to everything. As we face difficulties in life, we want a quick fix or solution to our problems because we want to move on and get to the next chapter according to what we desire to happen. We dislike getting stuck and have a constant feeling of dissatisfaction.

When we apply for a job, we get frustrated when the companies to which we applied for don’t get back to us. We make follow-up calls until we get the results because we cannot wait any longer.

For couples who are so willing to bear a child are often sad and worry, when they fail each time they try.

Doing routine work such as going to work, doing our groceries, waiting in a queue to be served or to buy what we need – all of these require patience. And to cope, it would help a lot if we understood why patience is important.

Patience is crucial to keep our temper and composure.

At work, our colleagues can be a nuisance especially when they keep talking about unrelated topics or spreading rumors about whoever is involved – this may result to delays or unproductive working days.

When in a queue for longer than usual, we tend to fidget, curse the service or the person in-charge, or just check our phones which are signs of boredom. Again, patience is the key to not get caught in an unnecessary drama because you lose yourself and complain. Patience makes us holy as long as we do it in the name of God, though this may seem trivial. One good example of when our patience is tested is when we go fishing. We remain quiet and calm to lure the fish to eat the bait. It takes time and sometimes, no matter how long we wait and tired we stand, in the end we cannot catch any. In our childhood, we might have enjoyed playing jigsaw puzzles and got thrilled or dismayed when we couldn’t put them together, especially when there were only few pieces left and we felt compelled to solve it. Through patience, we triumph.

Bible Verses on Patience

Romans 8:25

“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

Romans 12:12

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Psalm 37:7-9

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.”

Colossians 1:11

“Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;”

Hebrews 10:36

“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

How to Practice Patience While Waiting for God’s Answers

Let’s imagine an egg while its mother chicken sits on it to give warmth until it hatches. Every time we pray, we shall pray fervently and put faith in our prayers. We have to believe that God is listening to us. Oftentimes, we pray for the things that will make us happy, successful, famous, etc., that we tend to forget that what is good for us may be different with God’s version of good. In that aspect, we also have to look inside us and ask ourselves this – “Am I asking for something that will make me a good Christian or will it destroy my relationship with God and with the people I love?”. We, as God’s children, must acknowledge His generosity. Everything we ask of Him – as long as it is for our own good and does not harm anyone, or it is not about selfishness – God our Father, will grant our prayers.

Bible Verses on God’s Perfect Timing

Psalm 37:3-4

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Galatians 6:9

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Luke 18:27

“And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Only when we have faith can we trust the Lord’s timing. Knowing God means understanding that with Him, anything is possible. We will receive His benefits in abundance via prayer, but we must trust His ways. God is all loving and merciful and whatever we ask in His name will be given to us, as what Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.“