Wait by Jim Reimer
"Waiting is one of the most difficult of personal disciplines that I have had to learn.I don’t know if I have yet fully developed this grace in my life, but I can say that I am better at it than I used to be. Waiting is really trusting. It requires seeing with eyes of hope and faith the end result. King Solomon wrote to cast your bread on the waters and after many days you will find it again. (Ec. 11.1) This refers to an ancient way of sowing wheat. The farmer waited for the rains to flood the fields, then he would go and cast the seed on the water. When the water subsided, the little sprouts of grain could be seen growing up to produce a bountiful harvest. Throwing grain, that could be made into bread, on the water may have seemed like a crazy thing to do, but what was more difficult is the waiting of many days for the harvest.
Waiting is the time between the promise and the fulfillment. There is a season to sow and a season to reap. Paul told the Galatians to “not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6.9) The key is to not grow weary in sowing seeds and to not become impatient during the waiting time. Abraham received the promise of having children when he was quite advanced in years. Time passed and Abraham became impatient. At the age of 86, he thought he needed to help God along, so he took Sara’s Egyptian servant, Hagar, and conceived a child through her. From the time of Ishmael’s birth, problems began to happen. This was not the child of the promise, but of his own impatience. The promise did come to pass, but only after the completion of the waiting time determined by God.
A lot happens during the waiting time. Other fields are plowed, other seeds are sow and the tools for the harvest are sharpened and prepared. Jesus gave us the promise of His return about two thousand ago. It has been a long “in-between” time. Why the wait? Why is it taking Jesus so long to return? The answer is found in II Peter 3.9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any perish, but that all should reach repentance.” The wait is not for inactivity, but rather being busy in reaching the lost with the Gospel.It is a time for doing good and not losing heart.
It is a sobering to think that we are all planting seeds all the time. What we eat, what we say, the TV program we watch, the books we read, time spent with family and friends, will all produce a harvest, for good or for bad, in a future season. So be careful what you plant, for it will be the bread you eat in the future."
Scriptures to meditate on:
Ps. 37.3; Ec. 11.1; Gal. 6.9; Heb. 6.15; II Peter 3.9; I Tim. 2.4
Taken from: http://simissions.org/blog/day-259-wait/
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