Your Companion in God’s Waiting Room

In this message centering on the fourth aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit, Chuck Swindoll tackles the difficult virtue of patience. He begins with a candid admission of his own struggles in this area, joking that he considered calling in sick or pulling the fire alarm to avoid preaching on a topic that does not come naturally to him. He asserts that while Americans often pray, “Lord, give me patience and I want it now,” biblical patience is inextricably linked to waiting. Swindoll identifies patience as the believer’s necessary “companion” in God’s waiting room [6–9].

To explore this virtue, Swindoll turns to three specific Psalms written by King David—Psalm 27, Psalm 37, and Psalm 40. Through these texts, he illustrates the progression of waiting on God. First, patience requires bravery and courage to trust that the Lord is the strength of one’s life [13–14]. Second, believers are commanded to “be still” and not fret over the schemes of evil people, trusting God to act in His own timing. To illustrate this, Swindoll shares a harrowing personal story of being targeted by an armed, antagonistic church leader, only for God to remove the man just moments before Swindoll planned to resign [15–19].

Finally, Swindoll addresses those in a “pit of despair,” using Psalm 40 to show how God lifts the patient waiter out of the mud and gives them a “new song.” He recounts a dark period in his own ministry where he wanted to quit, but his wife Cynthia refused to let him give up. Swindoll concludes by encouraging listeners that God’s delay is not a denial, urging them to remain still and let the Lord lift them onto solid ground in His time [20–25, 28].

Message Key Facts:

• Angels Cannot Sing Redemption: Swindoll opens by noting that while angels harmonize and sing “Holy, Holy, Holy,” they will “fold their wings” when believers sing redemption stories. This is because the message of salvation is unique to humanity; angels have never felt the joy of being saved [1–2].
• Definition of Patience (Makrothumia): Swindoll breaks down the Greek word for patience. Macro means “large” or “long,” and thumia refers to “temper” or “heat” (related to “thermometer”). Therefore, patience literally means having a “long temper” or being “long-suffering,” as opposed to being short-tempered.
• The Ideal of Hope: Swindoll points to Romans 8:25 as the ideal definition: “If we hope for what we do not see, then with patience we wait for it.” He emphasizes that waiting and patience are “joined at the hip”.
• Job’s Valuation of Scripture: Highlighting the patience of Job, Swindoll notes that even while covered in ulcers and grieving his children, Job stated he valued God’s words “more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). Swindoll connects this to A.W. Tozer’s quote: “What we think about God is the most important thing about us” [11–12].
• The Gun-Toting Elder: Swindoll illustrates Psalm 37 (“do not fret about their wicked schemes”) with a story of a church elder who opposed him at every turn. The man once brandished a pistol in Swindoll’s office, loading bullets while saying, “I’m not afraid to use it.” Swindoll waited on the Lord, and the man unexpectedly moved away the very morning Swindoll intended to resign [16–19].
• Cynthia’s Intervention: Illustrating the “pit of despair” in Psalm 40, Swindoll shares a moment from the early years of his church when he told his wife, “I quit.” Cynthia replied, “No, you’re not… I didn’t marry a quitter.” Her “steel” kept him from making a foolish decision during a time of depression [23–24].
• “Love Lifted Me”: Swindoll recalls hearing the choir sing an arrangement of “Love Lifted Me” years after his period of despair. The song became a “balm of Gilead” to him, reminding him that when nothing else could help, God’s love lifted him from the pit [25–26].

Message References:

• Psalm 27:14: “Wait patiently for the Lord; be brave and courageous; yes, wait patiently for the Lord”.
• Psalm 37:7: “Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act; don’t worry about evil people who prosper…”.
• Psalm 40:1–3: “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me… He lifted me out of the pit of despair… He has given me a new song”.
• Romans 8:25: “If we hope for what we do not see, then with patience we wait for it”.
• James 5:10–11: Referenced regarding the patience of the prophets and the endurance of Job.
• Job 23:10–12: Job’s declaration that God knows the way he takes and that he will come forth as gold.
• Isaiah 40:31: Referenced regarding those who wait on the Lord mounting up with wings like eagles.

Message Speaker:

Pastor Chuck Swindoll