Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
James 5:7-8
REFLECT
As we continue our focus on a “Summer of Soul Care,” God may point out to you or even bring you to points of pain to put into practice lessons that grow our faith and spotlight His faithfulness. You may have already experienced great, “AHA!” moments of realization or even transformation, or He may be giving you an opportunity to prayerfully practice patience. Don’t give up! Worship while you wait, knowing God is at work.
Praying is often like planting seeds.
While I often remind people that God begins answering our prayer even as our words still hang in the air, there are many times that we are called on to wait and watch for God’s answer. True, our prayers move His hands and heart, but they move in His perfect preparation, process, plans and purpose that are brought to fruition in His perfect time. I have learned, after much frustration and repentance, that God’s “when,” is a vital part of the way God answers our prayers. He is never early and never late, as time beats in heaven by the beat of His heart not the tick tock of our earthly clocks and calendars, and so as our heart aligns with His in our requests it must also come into cadence with the beat of His heart knowing His best is on the way – just maybe not today.
When we plant a seed, we prepare a space and the soil to provide for it to not only sprout but flourish.
We place the seed in a hole or row and then cover it with dirt. We give it some water and then we leave it. We wait … and watch…wait… and watch. We do not dig it up each hour to check on it, we do not see the progress taking place inside the seed and it is surrounded by darkness, heat and the pressure building up that will eventually, not immediately, cause the seed to crack and life to burst through and begin growing roots down into the soil to soak up the life-giving water and nutrients needed to grow and then a shoot that finally peeks out of the soil and reaches for the air and sunlight that are vital throughout growth and flowering and/or fruitfulness.
This is a great learning experience for people of all ages and a great way to show children how we wait in hope-filled prayer with “joyful confident expectation” even when we don’t see immediate change around us there should be immediate change IN us. Our circumstances might not change immediately but we do as we choose to worship while we wait; praising and thanking God for who He is and what He does, remembering His faithfulness throughout our lives. The growth happens in us as we submit to God’s time and design for His answer and fruitfulness abounds in us and through us.
We can wait and watch with peace and patience, joy and self-control, not giving up or thinking we need to give God a hand and run off on our own understandings, but standing in faithfulness believing that even in the moments where God seems to be still and silent, we are the ones who need to remain still and silent already receiving the victory and expressing triumphant jubilation in the God who was and is and is to come. This anticipation takes up occupation in our hearts and minds so we can continue to move on obediently with all that God has already instructed us to do abounding in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit that God is already answering in a “way and when “that is best for His Kingdom and you.
Please allow me to encourage you to make this prayer personal, as we agree together in prayer.
Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, You are Lord of my life, the Author of my days and You have designed every beat of my heart and breath in my lungs with Your love. In Your love I commit to wait and celebrate all the blessings in my life, Your faithfulness and promises where I have experienced and now plant my prayers in the soil of hope that filles my heart. My confidence is in You, I believe Your best for me and worship You as I wait through what the enemy would like me to perceive as Your silence in my storms but I know that Your hands and heart are already answering my pleas for help and so I am filled with all joy and peace in believing so that hope abounds in me and through me by the power of the Holy Spirit. My trust in You pours out thanks to You. In the worthy and wonderful name of Jesus we pray, Amen!
Serving Him with gladness,
Kathy Branzell
President | NDP Task Force
