Verse for the Day, 9 April 2014.

Genesis 29:32-35  And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, "Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me."  (33)  She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also." And she called his name Simeon.  (34)  Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, "Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore his name was called Levi.  (35)  And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "This time I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.

Watching a fruit tree grow can be quite a frustrating process; it is one that demands much patience. When you planted the seed in the ground you knew that the seed was filled with promise, the promise that it would grow into a great fruit tree. However, that promise takes a considerable period of time to come to pass. At times one is tempted to think that the seed was a bad seed for there appears to be no growth, but after a while a shoot appears. It seems to take forever for that shoot to grow and gain strength and substance; as for the fruit, well that seems like a distant and unlikely reality. But then the joy of that day finally comes when the first buds appears and soon thereafter comes the first harvest!

God had made a promise to Abraham that he would become a mighty nation, over a hundred years later that promise looks like a distant and unlikely reality. Abraham had one son, and his son only had two sons, hardly a great nation! Yet as Genesis 29 and 30 unfold we witness the sudden expansive growth of this promise, the tree has begun to bear fruit. By the end of Genesis 30, Jacob has a family of some twelve children, which will in a matter of years grow to seventy and continue to grow. The fulfilment of the promise had been slowly growing, coming to fulfilment in small steps and now it has blossomed.

We can draw encouragement from this as believers in Jesus Christ, as it encourages us to continue to persevere in faith and patience, knowing that God is working in our lives. The work may not happen at the speed we want it to, or produce the result as quickly as we would like, but it will come to pass at the right time. The challenge for us is to trust God and to wait upon God patiently until the time comes to pass. As hard as the waiting may be, it is helpful for us to look at many of the men and women in the Old Testament and in particular Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. These men had to wait decades for God to bring his promises about, Abraham and Isaac saw just small fulfilments before they died and thus they died trusting that God would bring the promise to its ultimate fulfilment even though they would never live to see it. Let us look at and study the lives of these men and learn that God is at work, God is faithful, God is good and God will use all of our lives in unique ways, some in small ways, some in great ways, to bring His promises and plans to pass. In time we will learn that God is all these things, and we shall know the joy of witnessing God at work in our lives.

Heavenly Father help us like the men of old to persevere, to trust and to faithfully hold on to Your promises. Forgive us for being impatient, and at times thinking that You have forgotten us, or have ceased to work in our lives. May we take refuge in the knowledge that You work, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, but always at the right time and in the manner that is good. We pray that You will, by Your Spirit, help us to grow in patience and trust, whilst we constantly yield and open our lives to Your working. Amen.