4 Signs God Is Saying “Be Patient” with that Person You Like

When I say that God is telling you to be patient, I’m mostly talking about your attitude.

Biblical patience encompasses far more than passive waiting. Patience involves the ability to take a great deal of pain from people or circumstances without losing one’s temper, without becoming irritated and angry, or without taking vengeance; it includes the capacity to bear hardships or trials without complaint. It is the self-control which keeps one from acting rashly in times of pressure.¹

Therefore, it’s possible to wait while being impatient. So I’m not saying you must always wait forever if God is telling you to be patient right now. Rather, in the 4 situations I’ve listed, I’m saying it would be very biblical for God to counsel you to be patient.

1. If You Have Really Strong Feelings for Them but They Have No Idea Yet, God Is Probably Saying, “Be Patient”

Internal turmoil usually arises when one person has very strong feelings for someone but doesn’t know how or when to express them.

Perhaps you’ve just met someone, but you instantly have a strong attraction for them. And then you talk to them, and you really enjoy their personality. But now you are in a dilemma because you don’t know what you should do with all these feelings.

Or maybe you have a friend from the opposite sex. For years, you two were just pals. But for some reason, things have recently been changing for you. You’ve begun to notice that the person you want to be in a relationship with has been right under your nose this whole time. And yet, how will you tell them?

Eventually, movement will be needed. But if your feelings are relatively new, it’s very probable that God is simply telling you to be patient:

• By remaining patient, you will protect yourself from rushing a relationship that needs time to develop.
• You will also protect yourself from acting on feelings that might vanish once you gain more information in the near future.
• Lastly, patience will give this person the time they need to form feelings for you.

Romans 12:12, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

2. If You’ve Had a Long Time to Get Ready for a Relationship but They Are Just Now Transitioning Into This Season, God Is Probably Saying, “Be Patient”

Maybe you’ve been single for years, and you’ve done a lot of self-care to prepare yourself for a new relationship. However, maybe this person who has come into your life has just gotten out of a long-term relationship that ended badly.

Or perhaps you’ve been walking with the Lord for a long time, but this person is a relatively new Christian, or they were a backsliding Christian who has recently repented.

In situations like this, patience is key. Just as it took you time to get your heart ready for a relationship, make sure you give them the time they may need too. While you might want to push forward because you feel ready, remember that for a relationship to work, both people need to be ready.

Ephesians 4:2 (NIV), “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

3. If Someone Is Truly Trying to Heal or Repent of Something Blocking Your Connection, God Is Probably Saying, “Be Patient”

If there is no evidence that someone wants to heal from the trauma that is triggering them to treat you poorly, you should not wait for them to heal. You should move on and accept they’re not right for you (Proverbs 4:23).

If someone is living in a destructive sin that is getting worse and worse, you should not tolerate this. Their bad choices will negatively impact you if you keep them in your life (1 Corinthians 15:33).

However, it’s not always irresponsible to give someone more chances even if they’ve hurt you in the past. You need to be wise here so you don’t end up with a manipulative person using your kindness against you. However, if someone is wounded, it is an act of grace to overlook their offenses for the time being, knowing that they are speaking out of their pain when they get triggered.

The key, however, is to make sure this person knows there is a problem. A person you should give more chances to is one who knows they have an issue, is actively working on it, and is repenting (in actions, not just words) of the ways they’ve sinned in response to their pain.

While you shouldn’t proceed forward with someone like this if they are currently unfit for a relationship, it is certainly possible that God is telling you to have patience for them if you see growth and healing taking place.

4. If You Love This Person, God Is Saying, “Be Patient”

In the long list of describing words about love, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 starts with the line, “Love is patient . . .”

The Greek word for “patient” in 1 Corinthians 13:4 is makrothumia¹, which combines makros (meaning “long” or “extended”) with thumos (referring to anger or intense emotion)¹, creating a word that captures something far richer than simply waiting.

Rather than describing passive waiting, makrothumia depicts an active restraint of anger over an extended period. When these components merge, the word pictures patient restraint of anger and therefore longsuffering¹. This means that love isn’t merely tolerant—it’s actively managing strong emotions while remaining committed to another person.

Thus, whatever hard situation you are going through right now, if you love someone, patience is key. Patience doesn’t mean you don’t feel the pain, the longing for clarity, or the desire to move into a new season. Rather, patience is an act of love expressed through your willingness to suffer for a time to be with this person.

Therefore, if you really love someone, God is surely saying,  “Be patient.”