P B P G I N F W M Y
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4
Life is lived in seasons; if you don’t understand that, you’ll be constantly frustrated. Some seasons are for sowing, some for waiting and some for reaping. Sometimes you have a short, intense burst of growth followed by a longer period of stabilizing and testing. ‘But what about my problems?’ you ask. You can pray for a miracle, but don’t be disappointed if your answer comes through gradual change. Over time, a steady stream of water will erode the hardest rock and turn giant boulders into pebbles. You may feel frustrated with the pace of your progress, but God is never in a hurry. He took eighty years to prepare Moses, including forty in the wilderness. For 14,600 days Moses wondered, ‘Is it time yet?’ But God kept saying, ‘No.’ Contrary to popular psychologists, quick-success seminars, and the ‘no-money-down’ guy on TV who made a fortune in property sales, there are no easy steps to maturity. When God makes a mushroom, He does it overnight; when He makes a giant oak, He takes a hundred years. God sets the schedule, not us. When you get discouraged about how far you still have to go, stop and look back at how far God has brought you. Weren’t there times when you just wanted to quit? Yet He never stopped loving you, believing in you and developing you. ‘If we are faithless, He remains faithful…’ (2 Timothy 2:13). Years ago folks wore a popular button with the letters PBPGINFWMY (‘Please be patient, God is not finished with me yet’). And He’s not finished with you!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, grant me patience – patience to wait for the good things You have in store for me. Help me not rush the work You are advancing. In Jesus’ Name, Amen