October 14: PATIENCE

Believe it:

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. Psalm 37:7,9

Live it:

We can learn three lessons from today’s text.
1. You cannot hasten your blessing, but you can delay it. When God has a blessing planned for you, there’s not much you can do to make it happen sooner, but there are things you can do to delay it. Take a look at the children of Israel: a trip that should have taken only days took decades. The Bible mentions several examples of people that postponed their blessings because they took matters into their own hands. Some examples of this are Moses when he hit the rock instead of speaking to it, or Abraham sleeping with Hagar because his promised son had not arrived. God is not asleep, nor is He disconnected to what is happening to you. He is in control. Wait.
2. Watch your attitude while you wait. A factor that contributed to the children of Israel’s wandering in the desert for four decades was their desperately negative attitude. Each time they complained, murmured, and disobeyed, God would in effect say, “Another round.” As you wait, don’t compare yourself with others; don’t get angry; don’t become anxious. If you seem to be going in circles in the desert of your life, if there is a lot of movement but little progress, first check your attitude. May God never need to say to you, “Another round.”
3. The reward is better after waiting. Today’s text tells us that to those who wait, God will give the Promised Land. What a marvelous promise! The longer the wait upon God’s timing, the greater the blessing. Someone reading this may have been waiting a long time for God to change a situation in his or her life. Take heart! God has not forgotten you.

Share it:

Perhaps you’ve given up on something, or someone, in your life. Today begin praying again, trying again, dreaming again.

My prayer today: for those we invite who have never attended church before.

-Pray that they may find the church with ease as they drive there.

-Pray that they will continue attending, every evening.

from God’s City, My City