This is hard advice to follow. Like the farmer who waits for the rain and the sunshine to do their work on the crops, so we are to wait for God to act in our lives. Too often, if our prayers aren’t answered immediately and in the way we want them to be answered, we think God isn’t listening or God doesn’t care. We become discouraged and hopeless. This passage reminds us that God’s timing is different from ours. It’s also helpful to remember that God looks at the world from a different vantage point, seeing all things at all times, understanding that every answered prayer has broader implications than we are aware of.
In this season of Advent, for what are you waiting? What tools might help you to be more patient and less anxious? What gifts can come from the way things are, even if they are not the way you want them to be?
Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s timing.