Be Patient

Be Patient

I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

IMAGINE PLANTING A SEED IN A GARDEN with the hopes that it will grow and be fruitful. You fertilize the soil, water the area the right amount, and expect nature to follow its course. But just to be sure, you check on the seed from time to time to make sure nature really is following its course. You brush back the soil, look for any signs of green, and celebrate when the seed begins to germinate. You then replace the soil to let the process continue. With this amount of attention, your seed is likely not to mature. After all, part of the growth process is letting things happen for a season when you can’t see anything happening at all.

A prayer of faith is like that. You plant it, water it, cultivate it, and expect to see it sprout above the soil at some point. But you can’t help it along. You can’t examine its progress every day by digging it up and inspecting it. You can’t say you trust the one who makes things grow while also trying to make him conform to your expectations. You either trust the process of faith or you don’t. You trust the Gardener who breathes life into the faith of his people or you don’t. Micromanaging the process kills it.

When you plant a seed of faith, do your part to cultivate it, but don’t interfere with it. If you dissect it to make sure it’s developing correctly, it won’t. Your self-initiated involvement in the process is a hindrance to healthy growth. God may ask you to be part of the process, but he won’t ask you to micromanage it. You’ll have to decide: Is this my process or his? If it’s yours, proceed at your own risk. If it’s his, let it be his.

Faith is ultimately a partnership, so work as God instructs. Participate as he leads. But constantly judging whether things are happening or not—whether God is living up to his promises, and on your schedule—is not faith. It’s an attempt to use God for your purposes. Learn the difference and be patient. Wait expectantly—and expect to wait.

The Lord seems constantly to use waiting as a tool for bringing us the very best of his gifts.