MEDITATION:
Written by L. B. Cowman (1870-1960), an American writer and author. This is an excerpt from her devotional “Streams in the Desert.”
I once thought that after I prayed that it was my duty to do everything that I could do to bring the answer to pass. He taught me a better way and showed that my self-effort always hindered His working and that when I prayed and definitely believed Him for anything, He wanted me to wait in the spirit of praise, and only do what He bade me. It seems so unsafe to just sit still and do nothing but trust the Lord, and the temptation to take the battle into our own hands is often tremendous. We all know how impossible it is to rescue a drowning man who tries to help his rescuer, and it is equally impossible for the Lord to fight our battles for us when we insist upon trying to fight them ourselves. It is not that He will not, but He cannot. Our interference hinders His working. Spiritual forces cannot work while earthly forces are active. It takes God time to answer prayer. We often fail to give God a chance in this respect. It takes time for God to paint a rose. It takes time for God to grow an oak. It takes time for God to make bread from wheat fields. He takes the earth. He pulverizes. He softens. He enriches. He wets with showers and dews. He warms with life. He gives the blade, the stock, the amber grain, and then at last the bread for the hungry. All this takes time. Therefore, we sow, and till, and wait, and trust, until all God’s purpose has been wrought out. We give God a chance in this matter of time. We need to learn this same lesson in our prayer life. It takes God time to answer prayer.
PRAYER:
Written by Lori Freeland, a contemporary author.
Lord, I miss the way we used to be. It’s my fault, I know. I haven’t had the patience to rest at your feet and meditate on your Word. I’ve been too impatient to wait on your will. I’ve gotten used to making things happen right now instead of waiting on you to guide my steps. Bring me back to those days when I hungered for your plans. Give me the patience to linger in your presence. Pause my racing thoughts and self-imposed time limits. Thank you for being the only one who can truly take away my urge to do life by myself. Thank you for showing me that putting you first is what’s best for me. Amen.
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