Impatience

A refusal to wait for people or developments, frequently displaying a lack of faith.

Examples of impatience

Genesis 16:1–2 Abraham and Sarah who did not wait for God to give them the son he had promised; Genesis 25:30 Esau's impatience cost him his birthright; Numbers 20:9–11 Moses; Numbers 21:4; Psalm 106:13; Isaiah 59:7; 1 Samuel 13:6–12 Saul made the offering without waiting for Samuel; 2 Samuel 13:2 Amnon with his half-sister, Tamar; 2 Samuel 14:29 Absalom with Joab; 2 Samuel 18:14 Joab with Absalom; 2 Kings 5:11–12 Naaman; 2 Kings 6:33 King Joram; Job 6:11, Job 21:4; Job 32:16 Elihu; Matthew 18:29–30 the unforgiving debtor; Luke 15:2 The younger son could not wait for his inheritance; John 21:3 Peter; Acts 20:16 Paul; 1 Corinthians 11:20–21 the Corinthian Christians at their communal meal; Revelation 6:10–11 the martyrs waiting for the Lord to avenge their deaths

Warnings against impatience

Psalm 37:7; Proverbs 19:2; Galatians 6:9; James 1:19–20 See also Proverbs 6:18, Proverbs 12:16, Proverbs 14:29, Proverbs 15:18, Proverbs 16:32, Proverbs 20:3PRO Proverbs 21:5, Proverbs 28:22 Proverbs 25:8 the need to exercise caution in disputesProverbs 29:20; Ecclesiastes 5:2 Ecclesiastes 7:9, Ecclesiastes 8:3; Habakkuk 2:3

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.

Even zeal is no good without knowledge, and he who hurries his footsteps misses the mark.

Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.