April 26
Prayer: Be Patient
Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in
prayer.
--Romans 12:12
Think of the kernels of grain, the seed, that the farmer plants in
the ground in the fall of the year. How patient the farmer must be!
Throughout the long, cold winter the seed is dormant. There is no
evidence at all that it is there--covered by the cold earth itself.
The snows come and go. The ground freezes and thaws. Does the
farmer lie awake at night worrying that those seeds he placed in
the ground may be ineffective? He does not. He knows that spring
will come!
And in due course, the sunshine of March or April warms the air.
Spring rains water the ground. The farmer knows then that it will
not be long until green shoots suddenly break out from their
covering of earth. And in their own time, great waving fields of
grain are ready for the harvest. The farmer's faith in the seed he
planted is fully justified.
Likewise, God wants us to be patient with every prayer and
petition we sincerely send up to that heavenly altar. Our praying
done in the Spirit cannot be ineffective. It is as though God is
saying to us: "You have planted the seed. You have prayed for My
will to be done and for My kingdom to come on earth.... The
effective prayers of my son, Jesus, will join with the effective
prayers of righteous men and women. Be patient and put your trust
in Me, day by day!" Jesus Is Victor!, 122.
"Lord, I'm tempted to jot down, 'Give me that patience, and give
it to me now!' That's so typical of our hurried mind-set. Change
that mind-set for me today, Lord, and give me a patient,
steadfast faith, with a willingness to wait for the harvest.
Amen."
