The Strength of Patience

Anyone in waiting mode beside me?  I love this quote by John Piper.

The strength of patience hangs on our capacity to believe that God is up to something good for us in all our delays and detours.

Delays and detours….I’m not really a fan of either!  But I am convinced that it’s the delays and detours that build our faith and strengthen our walk!  Delays and detours are not all bad.  Perhaps God wants to give you an additional bonus blessing and He can only do it by way of a detour and a delay.  Enjoy the detour and savor each moment of the delay.   If God had given you what He promised right off the bat, you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to build the meaningful relationships you’ve built during your delay.  Perhaps God wanted you in a certain place to be a help to someone else who was hurting.  More than likely, our delays and detours are not about ourselves, but other people. For the time being, God needed you elsewhere.

At just the right time, God will reward you with the prize for which you’ve been waiting.  And when you look back, you’ll be thankful for the delays and detours, because without them, you will have missed out on the richness of His bonus blessings.  And remember, the longer the delay, the sweeter the prize.

I love the way God works!