JEREMIAH 23:5

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land."

TO PONDER

Have you ever had a plan that took longer than expected? I remember cooking a cake recipe once, it was supposed to be a chocolate mud cake, and while I no longer remember the specifics, I do remember that for one reason or another, this cake seemed to take twice as long to bake as the recipe suggested it would. In the end, it turned out ok, but ended up being a dessert rather than an afternoon tea.

Sometimes we need reminding that God has a plan, especially when that plan seems to be taking ages to come about. The people of Israel needed constant reminding, not only of the promises God had made about their future, but also about the things God had done to show his faithfulness to them in the past. We are not really any different. We can get impatient when God's answer to our prayers seem to take a while in coming. We can get distracted by our own efforts to 'make' things happen. When you feel like this remember, the words of the Psalmist from Psalm 46, "Be still and know that I am God".

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, please help me to grow in patience. Help me to remember that you have a plan in every situation and that your timing is perfect. Give me patience when I have to wait, courage when I need to act and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen