Faith and Patience - Hebrews 6:11-16

And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

Abraham is often set forth as an example of great faith and patience. These two qualities go hand-in-hand since it takes patience to develop the gift of faith, and it takes an eye of faith to have patience and endure. Although faith may grow quickly in a relatively short amount of time, it may still take a very long time for it to be fully consummated. Abraham wandered many years on borrowed land before receiving covenants from the Lord. The word Hebrew literally means wanderer or displaced person.

But the miraculous thing about Abraham's faith was exactly that it was accompanied by patience. He trusted in the Lord, year in and year out because of faith combined with patience. Upon a partial consummation of many years of diligent faith, Abraham remarked:

Now, after the Lord had withdrawn from speaking to me, and withdrawn his face from me, I said in my heart: Thy servant has sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee;

 Having faith is not easy, and in many cases contradicts our would-be logic, but the quest for faith wasn't meant to be a walk in the park. It is for building grit and character. It is for making people who are worthy of Zion. The trick is to have patience and joy in that journey of faith because there are little miracles and wonders dispersed along the way. His plan for each individual isn't meant to be boring, but an adventure of the grandest sort.