112. Is Impatience Fueling Your Doubts and Anxiety? Learning to Trust God's Timing

Patience is more than waiting—it is a discipline of the heart. It allows us to govern our emotions, trust God’s timing, and respond with wisdom instead of rushing in fear or doubt. Practicing patience strengthens our relationships, nurtures our spiritual growth, and helps us live faithfully and peacefully in every area of life. True strength is not in conquering others or achieving instant results but in mastering our own spirit (Proverbs 16:32).

In this episode, we explore:

• What patience really is: both enduring trials steadfastly and being long-suffering with others, while hope-filled trusting God.
• Why impatience leads to anxiety and doubt: rushing past faith increases fear and stress.
• How Scripture defines patience through Greek and Hebrew words.
• Practical ways to grow in patience at home, at work, and in our spiritual life.

Biblical Definition of Patience:

• Greek (New Testament):
  • Makrothymía – long-tempered, patient with people (Galatians 5:22–23; 1 Corinthians 13:4)
  • Hypomonḗ – steadfast endurance through trials (James 1:3–4; Romans 5:3–4)
• Hebrew (Old Testament):
  • ’Erek Appayim – slow to anger, patient like God (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 103:8)
  • Qaváh – to wait, hope, and look to God’s action (Isaiah 40:31)
  • Yāchal – to wait, expect, trust, and hope in God (Psalm 130:5)

Why Patience Matters:

• Patience = Wisdom: Proverbs 14:29 – “Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.”
• Patience = Faithful Action: James 5:7–8 – like the farmer, we do our part and trust God for the rest.
• Patience = Love & Fruit of the Spirit: 1 Corinthians 13:4, Galatians 5:22–23 – patience is integral to love and godly character.
• Patience = Peace, Strength & Hope: Psalm 37:7, Isaiah 40:31, Romans 8:25 – waiting on the Lord renews strength and aligns us with His will.

Patience is active, not passive. It strengthens the prefrontal cortex (decision-making, planning, impulse control) and calms the amygdala (our emotional alarm system). Practicing patience gives us the power to endure, love, and act faithfully, even when life feels rushed or uncertain.

Practical Applications:

• Family & Parenting: respond calmly, teach respect and self-control.
• Work & Ministry: avoid burnout, focus on long-term goals, and rely on God.
• Spiritual Life: waiting on God strengthens faith, trust, and hope.
• Daily Habits: pause before reacting, pray, practice gratitude—small acts grow patience.

Closing Scripture:

Proverbs 16:32 – “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.”

True power is a calm, regulated spirit—one that sustains family, nurtures relationships, and allows God’s plans to unfold in His perfect timing.

Final Encouragement:

Surrender your fears and doubts to God. Let patience guide you, trust His timing and watch Him fulfill His plans for your life, which are always greater than we can imagine.

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Transcript

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Welcome back to Curious for Christ and a special welcome if you're new here. Do you ever feel like life is moving too fast? Like no matter what you do, you are always running late. That's exactly what impatience feels like, and it's something I've been reflecting on a lot lately. Today I want to talk about patience. It has been on my heart, and to be honest, it's one of the hardest virtues to practice. Patience goes directly against our nature and the culture we live in. Human nature is driven by self preservation. When doubt creeps in, our instinct is to act immediately. But biblical patience is countercultural. It's not reacting in a hurry, not rushing to fix or control. When I feel tempted to be impatient, I feel like I'm already late, literally. But also in life in general. Patience is intentionally waiting in faith, trusting God's timing and his wisdom over my own fears. That's why patience is not. Weakness, it's wisdom, strengths, and surrender. I was reminded of this lesson just the other day while talking with my husband about food and nutrition. I grew up in Europe and my husband though from South America, grew up here in the United States. He's a really an incredible cook and he often prides himself on preparing meals quickly, which is a, a skill that comes in handy when we have guests or we're pressed for time. Once again, but as I was talking with him, I was reminded good food. Does take time. In Europe, I remember we didn't have instant oat oatmeal packets. We ate steel cut oats that took 30 minutes or even an hour to cook. And preparing a meal properly requires patience. It requires shopping for fresh. Food prepping, cooking, and serving. It's not fast food. And here in the United States, so much of our culture is built on speed. Fast meals, fast traffic, packed schedules. Even driving. You know, you see someone speeding past you only to end up beside you at the red light. It feels you are going faster, but whether you arrive at your destination faster. Might as well be an illusion. And the same is true in life. Social media, advertising and even our own expectations create a false sense of urgency. Don't miss this act now. It builds anxiety, doubt, and fear that if we don't hurry will fall behind. But God is not. On our rushed timeline, he's not pressured by our hurry. He calls us to align with his pace, his process, and his wisdom. And when I am at that red light, whether rushing myself or watching someone else, it makes me reflect where am I truly going when I want to go faster. And can I trust God to take me where I need to be at the perfect time without this sense of being rushed all the time? Can I live in trust and his peace today? Let's go deeper and examine what patience is and what it isn't according to the Bible. We'll look at the Greek and Hebrew words for patience. Explore key scriptures and finish with practical ways to grow in this fruit of the spirit. Welcome to Curious for Christ. Do you ever find yourself lying, awake at night wondering about God's plan for your life? Maybe you wake up with big dreams, but feel unsure where to start or what your next step should be. If you're curious about exploring your faith and finding purpose, then you've come to the right place. Hi, I'm Alexandra. I too felt lost and sure of the direction my life was taking. I yearned to understand my purpose and have someone guide me, but I kept telling myself I was too busy. The timing wasn't right, and my lack of clarity prevented me from being consistent until I found Christ. He brought peace into my life and revealed the way to find purpose by anchoring myself. In him. In this podcast, we'll journey together exploring the Bible to gain a deeper understanding of him and cultivate your own personal relationship with Christ. So open up your Bible, put in those earbuds and listen up because God is speaking to you. He's making everything new and you don't wanna miss it. Let's get started. So let's take a closer look at what the Bible actually says about patience straight from the original Greek and Hebrew words. Understanding these words gives us a richer, deeper perspective on how God defines patience and how we can grow in it. The Biblical words for patients. In Greek, we have macro theia, which means long tempered patients with people, enduring others with grace. Galatians five verses 22 and 23 uses that word and sas, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace. Patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control against such things. There is no law. In one Corinthians 13, verse four says, love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, does not boast. It is not proud. The second word, the Greek word is hu Monet, which means steadfast endurance patient through trials and circumstances. And it's the word that is used in James one versus three. And four, the testing of your faith produces perseverance, let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. And also, Romans five, verses three and four says, we rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance. Perseverance character and character. Hope. So the key idea is that patience in Greek is, is active. It's both loving long suffering toward people and steadfast endurance through life's challenges. It's not, definitely not passive waiting, but it's trust in action. And the Hebrew words, so we have three. One is eim. I'm not, I don't speak Hebrew, so I hope I didn't butcher the word, but basically it means slow to anger, patient like God, self controlled in interactions. It is used in Exodus 34, verse six. The Lord. The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God. Slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness in Psalm 1 0 3, verse eight. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. The second word is kava, to wait, hope, and look eagerly for God's action. And we find it in Isaiah 40, verse 31. A beautiful verse. But those who wait on the Lord will be renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint and then al to wait. Expect, trust and hope in God in Psalm one 30. Verse five. We read, I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits and in his word, I put my hope. So patience in Hebrew emphasizes hope filled, waiting and trusting in God's timing. It's about expectation, faith, and relying on his wisdom rather than rushing ahead. So overall we have long suffering with others. Enduring trials steadfastly, hope-filled, waiting and trusting God. It's active, faith-filled, rooted in God's character. It's true strength. It's definitely not weakness. You're not missing out. When you have patience, you show God's character. And so before we dive into practical ways to practice patience, I'd like to talk about why Im patience can stir so much doubt and anxiety in our life. Why? Why am I talking about patience in relations to doubting God and even having anxiety? Well doubt. Creeps in when we don't see results and we start asking, can God really do this or will he do this for me? Or why is it taking so long? You know? Our culture also doesn't help, with fast food, fast traffic, like we spoke about social media, algorithms. They all make us feel like we're missing out. Right? They're built for that. Social media is, and impatience tricks us into thinking we have to rush or we'll fail. We act past faith because we feel something is missing. Anyone relate, this is as old as Adam and Eve. We have doubts and then we go ahead of God. So rushing usually just increases stress and sometimes leads us in the wrong direction. Like the Israelites wandering 40 years, instead of crossing the desert in two weeks, it's like speeding to a red light and then you stop again. So what are the benefits of patients? Well, patience is wisdom. Proverbs 14 verse 29 says, whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick tempered, displaced folly, or Proverbs 25, verse 28 that says, like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control and impatience basically leaves us vulnerable. It's like a city without walls, like the proverbs says, it exposes us to the enemy and life's attacks. So let's be wise and have patience. Patience also is faithful action. James five verses seven and eight say, be patient than brothers and sisters until the Lord's coming. Be patient and stand firm because the Lord's coming is near just like the farmer. We, do our part, we plant, we water, we care, and then we stand firm by trusting God for the rest. That's our part. To stand firm, to be patient until the Lord's coming. So patience is active trust, not passive waiting. So patience also is love and fruit of the spirit. One Corinthians 13 verse four says, love is patient. Love is kind. Galatians five verses 22 and 23, but the fruit of the spirit is. Patience among others against such things. There is no law. Patience also. Number four is peace, strengths, and hope As we see in James one, two, and four, consider it pure joy because perseverance produces maturity. Psalm 37, verse seven, be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Do not fret Isaiah 40 verse 31. Again, those who wait on the Lord, will we renew their strength. Psalm 1 0 3 verse eight. The Lord is compassionate. Slow to anger, abounding in love. Romans eight, verse 25. But if we hope for what we do not have yet, we wait for it patiently. Patience again is not just waiting, it's enduring, trusting, aligning with God's timing. There's a lot to do there. And when we are impatient, we just miss that. We miss an opportunity to resemble God, to be aligned to his will, to understand what he desires for us and the good works that he has in advance prepared for us. I hope that you get an understanding now, a better understanding of what patients truly is in the Bible. So now let's see how this wisdom applies to our everyday lives at home, at work, in ministry, and in our personal walk with God. So number one, in family and parenting. I'm going through that myself. It's not easy to parent, but it's easier to yell or control when kids push boundaries. But biblical patience cause us to consistent calm. Guidance, and I'm really emphasizing on consistent. It's not about being perfect right now, it's about being consistent. It builds respect, trust, and confidence in children. So ask yourself, am I responding out of frustration or steady loving? Guidance number two in work or ministry, while pressure tempt us to take cities, like the Bible verse says, achieve fast control outcomes, but without patience. This leads to burnout or mistakes that is undeniable. And so patience teaches long-term thinking, steady effort and reliance on God. Number three, in spiritual life, waiting on God may feel passive, but scripture shows it is strength. As we saw Isaiah 40, verse 31. Again, those who wait on the Lord. Will renew their strength. So patience deepens faith and aligns our heart with his will. And then in daily habits. Number four, small choices. Cultivate patience, pause before reacting, breathe, pray, or practice gratitude. Over time, these habits strengthen self-control and reduce impulsive stress reactions. Patience is active, endurance, self-control, and hopeful trust in God. It leads to stronger relationships, clear thinking, renewed strength, and a deeper alignment with God's character, and I even believe better stewardship of our finances. So if that is a weakness of yours, and I'm still learning so much about that, I really see patients being a virtue to focus on. Before we pray, I'd like to close with Proverbs 16, verse 32, which says, better a patient person than a warrior one with self-control than one who takes a city. So, and we're not that different, but in the ancient world, conquering a city was the ultimate display of strength. Today, it's having money or success, fame, you know, all that is outward and flashy and loud. But God flips the value system. No, no. He says the one who governs their own spirit is stronger than the one who conquers cities. External victories are temporary, but inner discipline sustains us in family, in work, and in life. Brain science even agrees the prefrontal cortex strengthens with patients. the The prefrontal cortex is responsible for, decision making, problem solving, impulse control, self-regulation, planning for the future, social behavior, and understanding consequences while the amygdala impulsivity decreases. With patience, and the amygdala is like the brain's emotional alarm system. So the prefrontal cortex is the rational decision maker that helps calm down that alarm and think things through logically. Patience is really important for us to have and develop, especially in today's world with all the distraction that we keep on having and that will continue to increase. So true power is, and God agrees and says so a calm, regulated spirit so that you can sustain the family. You're working hard to build. Nurture the friendships you're forming and enjoy the success you're creating through your efforts. That's close today with a prayer. God, thank you for your word. Thank you that we don't have to conquer everything on our own. Show us that true strength is not in conquering others, but in conquering ourselves. Help us practice patience and self-control. Strengthen our trust in you. Guide our hearts and remind us of your steadfast love. God. Thank you for Jesus who gives us second chances and hope. In his name I pray, amen. So thank you for listening today. This episode spoke to you. Leave a review to help others find it, and please subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. So today, will you yield to God when you reach your breaking point? Let him govern your emotions, your fears, and your doubts, and watch the life he dreamed for you unfold. God is good. Until next time by my friend. Hi, I hope you enjoy today's episode. If so, would you like to take 30 seconds and share it with a friend who may also struggle with knowing God and his purpose for their life? Also, leave a review on Apple. Podcast and let me know what topics you'd like to hear about in the future. Your voice matters. I'll meet you back next Friday for another episode.