Verse of the Day for October 29

There is a gap in the middle of verse thirty six, and most of life is lived inside it. After ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. First the doing, then the receiving. Between them, a space.

That space is why the writer says ye have need of patience. Not that you might like some patience. You need it, the way a traveller needs water on a long road. Obedience is often followed by a wait, not by an immediate reward.

He warns against one specific danger: Cast not away therefore your confidence. Confidence is something you can throw away, like a bag that feels too heavy at the fortieth kilometre. Do not drop it. It carries a reward.

Then he borrows the words of a prophet: For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. It is fair to admit this little while has been long. But God's little while is measured by his faithfulness, not our calendars, and the promise still stands that he will come.

On a long bus ride from Lagos to Abuja, the hours after the halfway point can feel worse than the start. You are tired and not yet close. That is where many believers are. Keep your confidence on your lap. The arrival is promised.

Doing God's will and receiving his promise are often separated by a long stretch.

Do not throw away your confidence because the road is longer than you thought.