Power of Patience and Gentleness

UV 1517/10,000 Power of Patience and Gentleness
By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Proverbs 25 v 15
Patience is called the prince of virtues as it comes from long years of experience. It is a sign of maturity, wisdom and character. It emanates from an understanding of time and how human nature, situations and changes happen in life. The Bible talks of how Jacob was afraid when he heard that Esau, his twin brother whom he had deceived as a young man many years before, was approaching him with two large bands of fighting men. Jacob spent some time praying to the Lord for guidance and protection, thinking that his brother would take revenge on him for having robbed him of his birth right and blessing as the elder scion of Isaac. He then decided to persuade him by sending ahead of him droves of ewes and rams along with his servants as presents for his brother Esau. He avoided a confrontation and appeased Esau with his gifts. Jacob also spoke with great gentleness and wisdom on meeting his brother face to face so as to not arouse the embers of past bitterness.


This uni-verse appreciates the power of gentleness of speech. A gentle tongue can resolve difficult situations while rash speech would only add fuel to the fire of anger and resentment. The prophet Isaiah asked for a coal of fire from heaven to touch his tongue to purify it. We too should daily offer out tongue as a living sacrifice to the Lord so that we refrain from using it unwisely or abrasively. The Lord will send His spirit to take control of our tongues and give us wisdom so that our words are gentle and pleasing to the listeners.

Patience in our temperament combined with gentleness of speech is a powerful and winning combination. It will help us solve and resolve many tricky situations in our lives and contain the damage caused by our own attitudes and words. Every word as well as the tone with which we speak it should be measured and modulated. The manner in which Abigail, the wife of Nabal who annoyed King David, conducted herself and spoke to assuage the anger of David is held up as an example of such wise use of speech to redeem oneself in a critical situation. She spoke with such grace even as David was bent on shedding blood of Nabal and his family that it won the favour of David and he withheld his sword. After Nabal suffered death due to a severe stroke, Abigail was taken as a wife and queen to David. She had turned an adversity into opportunity by her patience and gentleness.

Prateep V Philip