Day 17 of 30

When Waiting Feels Impossible

From the Peace in Chaos devotional series

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."

— Psalm 27:14

Reflection

A bamboo farmer plants a seed and waters it for a year. Nothing happens above ground. Year two, same. Year three, same. Year four, the same daily watering of what looks like dirt. In the fifth year, the bamboo finally breaks the surface — and grows ninety feet in six weeks. Was it growing in years one through four? Yes, downward. Roots strong enough to hold ninety feet of vertical growth do not build themselves quickly. Most of us, in year three, would have stopped watering and called the seed defective. The Hebrew verb in this verse repeats — "wait, I say, on the Lord" — because the writer knew exactly how often we quit at year three. The roots you are growing in this season are not visible. That does not mean they are not happening.

Prayer

Lord, the roots.

Peace Challenge

Pick one thing you have been waiting on God for. Write today's date next to it on a piece of paper. Put it somewhere you will see in six months. Not to track God's schedule — to track what He does in you in the meantime. The waiting is part of the answer.