Why Faith And Patience Inherit The Promises Of God

Why the Thing We Hate Most Might Be Exactly What We Need

Nobody enjoys waiting. Whether it is the supermarket queue, the text message that takes forever to arrive, or the life goal that remains stubbornly out of reach, we have built an entire culture around the avoidance of delay. We want food delivered in minutes, answers in seconds, and results by yesterday.

So when the Bible tells us that inheriting God's promises requires both faith and patience, it feels like a deliberate provocation. Matt Edmundson opened his talk at Crowd Church by naming this tension honestly — and then spent the next thirty minutes dismantling our assumptions about what patience actually means.

A Five-Year Promise

Matt shared a personal story that set the tone for everything that followed. Just over twenty years ago, he was working for a company that sold saunas and steam rooms. When the owner decided to sell, both Matt and his wife Sharon independently felt God had promised to give them the company.

"I did not say anything to my friend about this," Matt explained. "I didn't want to try and manipulate this situation in any way because that would be bang out of order."

The company was sold — but not to Matt. Someone else bought it. Then things got worse. Matt ended up leaving the business "brokenhearted and with tears in my eyes." The situation was the exact opposite of what he believed God had promised.

Five years later, the company was given to him. He did not have to pay a penny.

"Today I still think it's one of the most miraculous stories from my life," he said. "When we embrace the wait, we inherit God's grace."

Patience Is Not What You Think It Is

The word patience tends to conjure images of someone sitting calmly, perhaps a serene grandparent. But Matt pointed out that the Greek word in Hebrews 6 is also translated as endurance or perseverance — like a marathon runner putting one foot in front of the other.

"That doesn't sound passive to me," he said. "That requires a bit of tenacity from us. A bit of spine, as we like to say in England. Some good old-fashioned grit."

He then offered a definition that reframes the whole concept: "Patience is not the absence of action, but the persistent cultivation of our character."

That changes everything. Waiting is not about doing nothing. It is about doing the right things in the space between where you are and where you are going.

Five Ways to Embrace the Wait

Matt laid out five practical approaches, each grounded in scripture and real life.

First, embrace delayed gratification and trust in God's timing. He shared how he and Sharon are deliberately teaching their daughter Zoe to save for something rather than buying it for her, even though they could easily afford it. "I see so many parents making this mistake. They give their kids everything they want instantly. But we know this isn't true of the rest of life or in our faith."

Second, remember it is not all about you. Hebrews 10 tells us to consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. In the waiting, it is easy to become inward-focused. Matt challenged listeners to keep turning up at church, keep encouraging others, and resist the pull towards isolation.

Third, resist comparison and cultivate contentment. Paul wrote to the Philippians that he had learned to be content in any circumstance — plenty or hunger, abundance or need. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" is not a generic motivational quote, Matt pointed out. In context, it is specifically about the ability to be content regardless of your circumstances.

Fourth, get training. Paul told Timothy to train for godliness. "Athletes embrace the wait between where they are and the Olympic Games by doing what? Training." Where do you need to develop? Self-control? Kindness? Start now, without waiting for life to be perfect.

Fifth, persevere through setbacks and disappointments. James wrote to count it all joy when you face trials, because the testing of faith produces patience. "That tells me we can not let patience have its perfect work," Matt observed. "We can give up, we can become discouraged — or we can do the exact opposite."

The Bonus Point

Matt added a sixth thought that deserves its own section. Whilst God moves us from where we are to where we want to be, his blessing is not on pause.

"Don't get so focused on what you are in wait for that you don't see the blessing that God has for you today. Right now, in this moment, God is not on pause. He's not hanging out at the finish line. Jesus has made his home in you. He lives in you right now."

That reframing is significant. The wait is not a dead zone. It is not a gap between the real moments. God is fully present and fully active in the middle of it.

What It Looks Like in Real Life

In Conversation Street, Sharon shared her own experience of waiting. She talked about coming to Liverpool with a mind that was "an absolute mess," holding onto Jesus' promise in John 8 that the truth would set her free.

"It was really hard to keep hanging onto that because my mind was an absolute mess," she said. "There were times where I felt like I just wanted someone to look after me, make all my decisions, where I wouldn't have to think because it was that much of a battle."

But she kept going. She kept digging into scripture. And gradually, over time, freedom came.

John Farrington shared that he felt called to church leadership at seventeen but did not take a full-time paid role in a church until he was thirty-seven. Twenty years of waiting. "Boy was the Lord working on my character in that time," he said. "I was such an arrogant young man who thought he knew how to do everything."

Sharon also shared the ongoing wait for one of their children who has had long-term health issues. "Looking back I can see how through that experience, character has been built in him. He has got a lot of perseverance now which I don't know that he would have had without that."

Patient with Us

Matt closed with a verse from 2 Peter: "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

God himself is patient. He is not asking us to do something he is unwilling to demonstrate. And his patience with us is the very reason any of us get to know him at all.

"If you are watching this and you are on the journey of discovering Christ," Matt said, "let me tell you, God is patient with you. He is ready for you anytime you go to him."

For the rest of us already on the journey, the invitation stands: embrace the wait, and inherit his grace. It will not always be easy. It will not always feel good. But it will always be worth it.