Wednesday, December 5th:
“We live in an age of instant answers; we want the Lord to reveal God’s plan for us immediately in response to our prayers. The psalmist suggests just the opposite. The psalmist speaks of waiting on God: “I waited patiently for the Lord.” The psalmist, like many of us, was probably not very good at waiting. The psalm’s last words indicate a desire for immediate relief: “O my God, do not delay” (Ps. 40:17, NIV).
God’s purpose for our lives unfolds gradually as a tree grows into fullness. It cannot be forced or achieved overnight. Jesus himself pointed out that the beauty of lilies does not result from their own efforts, for “they neither toil nor spin.” Their growth comes about by their yielding to the friendship of the sun and the rain in purposeful waiting.
So let us yield to the gift that God offers us in the Son, Jesus Christ. If we yield, we will indeed grow as we lean into the glory of God.
—Costa Stathakis, “God’s Purpose for Our Lives,” The Upper Room Disciplines 1999