“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11).
Just the word patience makes me feel uncomfortable. The need for patience is an ongoing problem for me. I battle with it—reminding myself over and over of the joy of delayed gratification and the satisfaction of self-discipline—and keep coming away unconvinced. Yes, I want patience—and I want it now!
Life-lessons almost never come at convenient times, and neither do the tests from which our character is developed. Our need of patience is expressed in the Bible by two significant concepts:
Longsuffering
This involves the idea of perseverance in the difficulties of life. We are told in the Bible to “run with endurance [or patience] the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). And when trouble comes because we have identified with Jesus, we are to “take it patiently” (1 Peter 2:20). The implications of these statements is that the struggles of life are not to deter us from who God has called us to be. We are to approach life with a commitment to endure—even when it is extraordinarily hard.
Willingness To Wait
This speaks of an attitude of trust and confidence in the purposes of God that enable us to wait the outworking of His will in our lives. It is the challenge of Isaiah 40:31, which reads:
Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
I believe that both of these elements of patience are inherent to the attitude of patience that is part of the Christlike difference. Not only did He endure with perseverance the pain of the cross, he was willing to entrust Himself to the hands of the Father.
Christ’s Model of True Patience
You say, “I don’t see the word patience in Philippians 2:5–11.” You’re right. The word isn’t there, but the attitude is. In the transition from verse 8 to verse 9 is the word therefore. The therefore of verse 9 links the blessings of glory to follow with the events that have preceded it. The trials of verses 5–8 lead directly to the glory of verses 9–11.
Why did the Son of God allow Himself to be abused by fallen, sinful human beings to gain things that were already His by virtue of His deity? The writer of Hebrews answered the question this way:
Jesus…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).
This speaks of a mind that is truly patient, for it was willing to wait for the reward while enduring the hardship of suffering. This is a difficult example for those of us who are part of a generation that wants all the benefits of life, and wants them immediately. At some level, it’s not just an issue of patience, but of confidence in the purposes of a living Father who knows what is best, and knows when the timing for those things is right.
No wonder Solomon wrote that God makes all things “beautiful [or appropriate] in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). If we are to experience the joy and satisfaction of the Christlike difference, we must be prepared to trust the Father not only for his will but also for His timing.
Was Christ’s trust misplaced? Not according to Philippians 2:9–11. Notice the completeness of the joy experienced by the obedient Son who patiently trusted in His Father’s love.
Jesus was exalted and honored
The Father “has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name” (v. 9).
Jesus will be worshiped by all
Paul wrote “that at the name of Jesu every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth.” (v. 10).
Jesus will receive the recognition He deserves
“Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (v. 11).
Christ was willing to wait patiently for His Father’s will to be accomplished. And the Father was abundant in His response to His Son’s patient trust. Will we learn to live on the basis of that same hopeful confidence, even if it can only be learned through trials and testing?
Often, patience is nothing more than the inner expression of trust in a faithful God who promises:
Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians 6:9).
