“May I have the wisdom and patience to let questions planted in me wait, rest, and germinate rather than anxiously harvest answers whose season has not come.”
We have a framed picture of Jesus planting seeds and it reads, “Tomorrow’s flowers grow from the seeds we plant today.” So, plant good seeds today to enjoy the beautiful flowers of tomorrow.
With patience in short supply, problems on Earth can stem from our inability to wait for God to bless us. We are all trying to make our own futures and that’s where we get ourselves into trouble.
This prayer reminds me of Matthew 6:25-27. “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
When we try to shape our own destiny, it often blows up in our face. Our Father in Heaven gives us what we need every day, not what we think we want. Unfortunately, wisdom often doesn’t come until after the mistakes have been made.
We may not know what we need today, but God knows what we need. It’s hard to trust at times. We all pray for better circumstances.
Give us this day our daily bread and may we allow questions to wait, rest, and germinate. The word of God may not satisfy our physical hunger, but it satisfies our soul. It offers a spiritual quenching of our thirst for wisdom. Our daily bread is the nourishment we receive when we spend time with the Lord.
God answers prayers, but on God’s timeline, not ours. Our impatience leads to so much trouble. God is perfect and God’s timing is perfect. I encourage you to never lose faith in the Lord. In God’s time we will reap the benefits of God’s loving plan for us.
Much like having patience when you are waiting for your seedling to sprout.
Our Father has invited us to come and ask for our daily bread, our daily nourishment, and to rest assured that he will not fail to provide it.
Randy Hanley is husband to Nicole and father to Matthew and Abby.
These reflections stand alone, but if you want to enjoy the prayers from May It Be So that they’re based on, please click here to request a copy of the book.