“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22–23

Longsuffering is often translated as patience. Literally, it means “long wrath” or “slow anger.” Simply put, longsuffering is handling anger slowly.

In Exodus 34:6, we learn that longsuffering is a characteristic of God Himself: “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” Likewise, Peter the Apostle describes the Lord as longsuffering when he writes, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

The Holy Spirit desires to produce this characteristic of patience in each of us. If you have ever prayed for patience and then found more difficulties coming your way, you have learned the valuable lesson that “tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Rom. 5:3–4). The word perseverance is different from the word patience, but it carries the idea of enduring patiently. This is what difficulties—and difficult people—can produce in us when we are yielded to the Holy Spirit.

Paul the Apostle reminds us to “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1–3).

Later in the same chapter, he exhorts us:

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:30–32).

In Colossians 3:12–13, Paul puts it this way: “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

Anchor For Today:
Allow the Holy Spirit to produce patience in your life today.