NIV 365-Day Devotional Plan (2017)Sample

The Two-Year Wait

Observation
Joseph had been falsely accused and thrown into prison, forgotten and discarded (see Genesis 39:19 – 23). But after this forgotten season, he emerged to be made second-in-command to Pharaoh.

There must have been some reason God did the same with Paul, factoring into the cadence of the apostle’s life a break, a rest, a long caesura of two years in prison.

I am sure that Paul, like Joseph, spent long evenings in the hollow prison cell thinking of all the things he could accomplish if he were free to do what he wanted to. I’ll bet he fought going stir-crazy. Paul was not a laid back or passive person. He was entrepreneurial and an initiator. I’m sure he struggled with the Divine Conductor’s timing of this song, which so affected his life. Yet Paul had to wait.

Application
There have been times when I have wondered why I was on “hold” — my prayers not answered and my desires left unfulfilled. Some things that I have prayed for never materialized. God doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to answer my frantic prayers. He doesn’t drop everything and rush to fulfill my desires.

I am realizing that I am not as mature as I thought. I am not as patient as I thought. I am not as wise, not as thoughtful, not as strong. Our Divine Conductor knows the timing of our growth. God is building things in me and knows how long it will take for me to develop the qualities necessary to survive my own prayers.

I, like Joseph and Paul, must learn to be patient. I cannot rush into the future. Neither can I hurry God’s timing for a certain score. If I do, the music turns sour and its beauty will be compromised. I wait for the proper timing.

Prayer
Dear Father, thank you for your timing. My willingness to be patient is a part of my trust and my faith — not in the music, but in the Conductor. I put my trust in you.

Taken from NIV LifeConnect Study Bible