10.18.17 Prayer Prompt: Don't Give Up

PRAYER PROMPT ••• People don’t like to wait.
I am no exception.
I was well-into my adult years when I finally confessed a childhood secret to my mother…
That I used to unwrap and rewrap all my Christmas and birthday presents ahead of time.
Needless to say, she was shocked.
But my grandmother was the one person who wasn’t surprised my admission.
Mamo was one step ahead of my secret because she too was an expert at peeling away scotch tape from wrapping paper to take a look at what’s inside.
She knew the subtle, but telling signs of a tampered gift.
Those days are long past, but I’m still terrible at waiting.
We have the opposite issue now though because while I’m more patient about receiving my gift, I often spoil the gifts I have for others.
Especially my mom’s.
I just get excited.
God knows our struggle with waiting.
But He’s given us great examples of patience.
Joseph. Abraham. Moses. David. Jesus Himself.
Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
I think that’s the part of patience we miss.
It’s not that we can’t wait; it’s that we give up.
Those packages under the tree weren’t going anywhere, but to my mind, I gave up waiting on the appropriate time.
Thanks to my impatience, I robbed myself of Christmas morning excitement.
Instead of being joyful over my gifts, I had to spend the morning making sure I acted surprised – over and over again!
My friend’s grandmother used to say, “Never pray for patience because God will give you reasons to be patient.”
I’ve laughed at that over the years, but what if we asked God not so much for patience, but a heart unwilling to give up?
A trust in Him that is so big that we can wait, even if we don’t understand His timing.
Today, as you pray, ask God to give you that trusting, I’m-Not-Giving-Up-Heart.
Ask Him to empower you to wait so when your prayers are answered, you can have true joy in the moment He’s prepared for you.