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“And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him” (Isaiah 30:18).

Judith’s mom keeps telling Judith, “Elizabeth is young. Be patient. She will grow up and understand that she can’t put everything into her mouth or pull so hard she rips papers.” It seemed to Judith that she was going to have to wait forever. But one day Elizabeth would grow up. All Judith had to do was be patient.

The Children of Israel experienced God’s patience on many occasions. The forty years they spent in the wilderness and the time of the judges are key examples of God waiting for His people to turn from their sin and back to Him.

We have examples of God’s patience with individuals too. Peter said some astonishing things while Jesus was walking on the earth. Some of the things Peter said earned him a rebuke (“criticism”) from Jesus. God was patient with Peter, who became one of the greatest preachers of his time.

Isaiah 30:18 says God is waiting for Israel to return to Him. There is a promise that goes with His waiting: He promises grace and mercy. Notice, too, that the end of the verse says that those who wait on the Lord are blessed.

Waiting is a part of trusting that God will show His mercy and grace as we wait for Him.

My response:

» Am I waiting for God to do His work?

» Am I trusting that God will show me His grace and mercy?

“Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son” (Genesis 18:14).

One day the class somehow started a discussion on who was strongest. The fourth graders thought the best way to determine strength was by arm wrestling. An informal round robin tournament began. Of course, this test didn’t really show who was the strongest, because arm wrestling only tests the upper body strength.

We usually measure strength by determining someone’s physical power. Or sometimes we measure strength by a person’s personality or wealth. As strong as you may think you are, there is always someone who is stronger (or has a better personality or more money and things). It may be the kid two grades above you. It may be the kid that just moved into town.

When God told Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son, it seemed impossible. Who ever heard of a ninety-year-old woman having a baby! God reminded them that nothing was too hard for Him. God has so much power that He can make the impossible possible. The Bible is full of examples when God alone did the impossible, examples like parting a sea, making a donkey talk, rescuing people from a fiery furnace, saving people from their sins, and creating the universe. Nothing is too hard for God.

God is limited only by what He chooses.

My response:

» Am I limiting God? Do I think something can’t be possible?

» Do I take the Bible seriously when it describes God as all-powerful? If so, how does that impact the way I pray and the amount of trust I put in God?

“Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith” (1 Thessalonians 3:7).

Jeremy had a bad day at school. Nothing went his way. He dropped his food in the lunchroom, he got a D on his spelling test, and he tripped when he was playing in the gym. At home, Jeremy told his mom, “I don’t want to play baseball anymore! I’m not good at it, I’m already having a bad day.”

Jeremy’s mom asked him to go to the baseball game anyway, to support his team and his friends. After the team warmed up, the coach called the players in and led the team in prayer, asking God to help them show good sportsmanship. When the players took the field, Jeremy noticed that one of them had a prosthetic leg. Jeremy watched as the boy ran into the field and then tripped. The boy stood up again, smiling as he dusted the clay off of his jersey. As he watched this, Jeremy remembered how he had complained about his bad day earlier. Encouraged by the other boy’s spirit to continue despite his circumstances, Jeremy thought about the coach’s prayer and ran onto the field to join his team.

Sometimes it feels as if life isn’t fair and things just won’t go our way. When this happens, you might think it will be easier if you just give up. Instead of giving up, remember to pray to God and put your trust in Him.

If you ask God for help when you have a hard time, you inspire others to do the same thing.

My response:

» Do I give up when things don’t go my way?

» Do I ask for God’s guidance?

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–18).

One day when I was about three, I came running into the house crying, “Mommy, Mommy! Jesus has come!” I grabbed my mother’s hand and pulled her out into the yard, pointing toward the sky. You see, I had been taught that someday Jesus would come again in the sky. Well, up on the telephone pole hung a lineman repairing the lines. I thought it was Jesus. “Look Mommy, Jesus has come,” I repeated.

We can hear this story and laugh at the cute misunderstanding of a three-year-old child. But ask yourself, Do I look for Christ’s return every day? Do I watch with anticipation for Him to come again?

The Bible tells us of Christ’s return. When He returns there will be no time to tell others about Him. We must be ready. We must not only be ready ourselves, but we must also be helping others to be ready by witnessing to them and telling them what God has done for us.

Jesus could return for believers at any time.

My response:

» Am I ready for Christ’s return?

» Have I accepted His gift of salvation?

» Am I telling others about Christ and His return?

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters. . . . [His] leaf shall be green” (Jeremiah 17:7–8).

Maria turned on the faucet for her mom. Then she slowly followed the hose to where her mom was watering the flowers. “How was your day, Maria?” her mom asked.

“Not very good,” Maria said. “Jessica ruined it.”

“Jessica ruined your whole day?” Mom asked, looking over at Maria. “How did she do that?”

“She didn’t want to sit by me or play with me today. She played with Sarah instead. She was supposed to be my best friend.” Maria glanced at the flowers. “That flower needs some water, Mom. It looks brown.”

“My hose won’t reach that plant,” said Maria’s mom. “I need to replant that flower before it dies.”

“Oh,” Maria said. “Anyway, it’s going to be a bad year. I’m the only third grader without a best friend.” Maria picked a weed while her mom walked ahead of her.

“I know how important Jessica’s friendship is to you, sweetie. I am sure she’ll still be your friend if you talk to her about it.” Her mom paused to water a bush. “But Maria, you shouldn’t let her ruin your year or your day. You can still be happy even if Jessica is being unkind.”

“But it’s so hard,” Maria said. “How can I be happy when Jessica’s being mean to me?”

“Maria, do you see that plant by the side of the house?”

“That really big one?” Maria asked.

“Yes. That’s the same kind of flower as the brown one back there.”

“Really?” Maria asked, looking from one to the other. “What makes it so different?”

“The difference is its water source,” her mom said. “I can’t reach the brown one with my hose, so it has to wait for the rain to water it. But the big green one is right where the leaky faucet drips. It has a constant supply of water to make it grow. Even if there’s no rain for weeks, that plant still gets water every day because it’s right by the source of water.”

“Okay,” Maria said slowly. “I don’t get it.”

Her mom smiled, then turned off the hose.

“In the Bible, Jeremiah talks about a person who trusts in other people instead of God. He compares him to a plant in a desert. That plant doesn’t have a constant source of water, so it will die. But Jeremiah compares the person who trusts in the Lord to a plant by a river. It will always be green and fruitful because its roots get their water from a constant supply. When you put your hope in a human, even a good friend like Jessica, you will be disappointed sometimes. No human is a reliable source of abundant life.”

“Abundant? What’s that mean?”

“‘Abundant’ means ‘fruitful’ or ‘plentiful.’” An abundant life is full of all the good things God wants us to have.”

“Oh, now I get it,” Maria said. “If I want to have an abundant life, I have to get it from God, not Jessica, right?”

“Exactly,” her mom said. “Only God can be a constant source of life for you. If you trust God to be your best friend, He will never let you down.”

“Wow! I didn’t know the Bible talked about watering flowers,” Maria said. “I’m going to ask God for abundant life like that green plant. Now, let’s move the brown plant closer to the hose.” Her mom laughed, and they went to get the shovel.

Only God can be our source of abundant life.

My response:

» How am I depending on people to be my source of abundant life at church, home, or school?

» How can I let God be my constant source of abundant life even more than He already is?