Patience is hard.

Aren't we always waiting for something?

An answer to prayer. A change in circumstances. A door to open. A problem to resolve.

And let's be honest. Life would be easier if we could see what's coming.

Unfortunately, that's not the way things work.

I have seen countless examples of God planning ahead for me. Sometimes we are called to prepare for a famine, and sometimes we are meant to lean on Him day by day and let Him provide for us.

In the Lord's prayer, it says, “give us this day our daily bread.” God literally meant ‘daily bread’ when He was leading the Israelites through the wilderness.

Exodus 16 tells us the story about God providing manna for His people in the wilderness. (Exodus 16)

God blessed them with enough food for each day, but if they tried to store it up for the next day, it would be inedible. The only exception was the day before the Sabbath when they would have enough for two days.

This taught them to rely on God daily. They had to trust that He would create the manna for them. Every. Single. Day. He did this for 40 years!

God was teaching His people to depend on Him rather than on their own ability to provide for themselves.

However, in Genesis 41 (Genesis 41), we see a very different situation. The author recounts Joseph's dream interpretations and how he was able to save the country by storing up.

The Pharoah had experienced some weird dreams about cows and wheat, and asked Joseph to tell him what they meant.

Joseph explained that they would have 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine, so they were to store up the excess in the first 7 years so they could provide for themselves and others in the next 7 years. This allowed them to prosper.

Now wait…

These two examples seem contradictory, but the lesson remains the same.

Trust God, follow His guidance, and He will provide.

Sometimes His provision comes through careful preparation. Other times, it comes one day at a time.

Remember COVID? How could any one forget….

As awful as 2020 was, I saw God's faithful hand in my life. His provision was, and continues to be, sufficient.

2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (ESV)

Right before the pandemic hit, my dad told me to store up. He wanted his daughter to be taken care of. As a good daughter, I listened and bought extra toiletries, paper towels, kitchen necessities, and other supplies. I didn't know why, but I obeyed.

Shortly after, when the store shelves were empty and trucks were delayed, I was able to keep the toilet paper stocked and even share with others.

I didn't know to expect this, but God did.

There was another example of His perfect timing that I noticed…

Right before the pandemic, my church updated their sound equipment to be able to live stream.

At the time, it was simply an improvement to our church's technology.

But when quarantine began and we could no longer gather together, that equipment allowed us to continue worshiping and hearing God's Word from our homes.

What perfect timing!

I love how God thinks of the details.

And just like my dad cared about me, our heavenly Father cares about us.

He knows what I need before I even know to ask.

That doesn't mean life will always be easy or that we will never experience hardship. The Israelites still had to walk through the wilderness. Joseph still had to endure years of suffering before he understood how God was working.
But God was faithful through it all.

And He is still faithful today.

He doesn't want us to worry or live in fear of the future. We don’t have to take matters into our own hands and prepare for everything.

He will take care of the provisions when the time is right. He will guide us without us having to see the future.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34 (NLT)

In fact, the whole chapter in Matthew 6 is worth the read here!

So, when life seems complicated or hard, or when you don't know what the future holds, trust that God will provide.

Pray. Seek God's wisdom. Follow His leading.

And trust Him with what cannot be seen.

Colossians 1:9-12 “So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.”

Perhaps that's the answer to our impatience.

Instead of asking God to show us everything that's coming, we can ask Him for the wisdom to take the next step.

After all, we don't need to know what tomorrow holds when we know the One who holds tomorrow.

God is faithful. And His provision is always right on time.

Maybe patience isn't really about waiting for God to do something. Maybe it's about learning to trust Him while we wait.

So, the next time you find yourself impatiently waiting for an answer, remember that God already knows what tomorrow holds.

He may be preparing you for what's coming, or He may simply be providing enough grace for today.

Either way, you can trust Him.

Because while we're waiting, God is working.