August 14, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I AM, God Almighty. Walk before Me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make My covenant between Me and you, and I will greatly increase your numbers.’” (Genesis 17.1-2)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

An additional word about patience. Yes, it is about trusting what God says He will do He will do it. We have the scriptural record of fulfilled promises, the least of which is not the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the pinnacle of God’s promise to us. It serves as the evidence that all who believe that Jesus submitted Himself to the will of God, His Heavenly Father, will be blessed with the gift of resurrection, too. Whether it is upon our earthly death or at the end of the Age makes no difference. The testimony is without question. It validates all preceding promises which God has made as well. Why? Because all of those promises point directly, and indirectly, to the coming Messiah and the redemption of God’s people from the bondage of sin which is eternal death and separation from God.

As a part of that trust, we cannot assign a time frame other than what God sets in place. It is apparent to all those who read the Bible that numbers are important. They carry meaning and purpose. They give a path of understanding linking the past to the future. They are not magical. They are the means by which God works so that our minds can grasp the deeper truths which God chooses to reveal. God chooses to reveal those truths for us and other according to His perfect time. We hear Toby Mac singing, “It may be midnight or midday, He’s never early and never late, He’s gonna stand by what He says…. help is on its way.” We also hear Jesus declare that He doesn’t know the day nor the hour of His return only God. So earthly time pales in comparison to God’s time. His time is perfect. His time is ours. His timing is perfect. We must align ourselves to trust and believe in that. We cannot hurry. We can only wait. But waiting means actively serving and doing what God says. This is what can be gleaned from the story of Abram. When he does what God says, there is blessing and a fullness of time. When he does not, there is consternation and a restlessness which begats some really dumb and bad decisions.

Patience is a spiritual truth, a spiritual reality and a means by which we can worship God in the fullness of the time given to us. How much time do we spend worshipping God? How much time are we aligning our daily work with His eternal plan for us and for others? I have said for a very long time “Hurry makes worry; worry makes mistakes.” Mighty ones of God, let us not be mistaken and abide by God’s promise of fulfillment and blessing to be a blessing which will extend generation after generation until the true fullness of time.

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness endeavor, but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.