In Ecclesiastes 7, the Teacher is sifting for wisdom. He’s sifting through his own thoughts and experiences to see if there is anything that can help when life feels fleeting or frustrating.
In verse 8 he says, “the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” When life gets tough—and even when life is happy and calm—patience is better than pride.
Pride and arrogance make things worse, but patience allows for perspective and better decision-making.
Pride is the chief sin. It extends all the way back to the Garden of Eden. In fact, it could be argued that many of the other sins flow from the root of pride.
In contrast, patience is good for the soul, and also for our relationships.
Tim Keller defines patience like this. It is “an ability to face trouble without blowing up or hitting out. Its opposite is resentment toward God and others, and its counterfeits are cynicism or lack of care…”*
It’s easy to get frustrated at what is happening in your life. Perhaps things are going well in general, but you really want God to give you strength for something challenging, or to provide you with guidance about a big decision. When God doesn’t seem to respond how we want, we can jump to the conclusion that he isn’t paying attention or that he doesn’t care.
But this me-first thinking, not patience. Why else would we think that we know better than God? Your timetable isn’t necessarily THE timetable.
Patience is hard. We live in a world that doesn’t like to wait. Maybe that’s why so many things are so messed up! We all need the reminder that God is sovereign, loving and good. And his timetable is better than ours.
Pause, think, pray, wait and trust.
Patience is better than pride.
Notes:
-*Although Ecclesiastes 7:8 is in Hebrew, this definition is from the Greek word for patience (makrothumia) as found in Galatians 5:22. Timothy Keller, Galatians For You (The Good Book Company, 2013), 154.
-Bible quotes, ESV.
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