Oh, sweet friends.  We’re nearly finished.  You only have one week left.  I can’t believe it!

I just have one small thing to share with you today.  It’s in reference to the proportion of His mercy relating to our waiting.  And, in particular, a woman’s wait for her child.  Some time ago, maybe a couple of years, I began to get curious about one regular phrase in the Bible: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Why were the three always mentioned together?  I knew that they were father, son, and grandson.  And that they are the patriarchs of the Jewish faith.  But what was it about the three of them?

I dug around.  And read their stories anew.  And saw one golden thread strung together between the three men:

They all had a substantial wait before their children.  Every single one of them waited at least twenty years.

And do you know what resulted?  Each child born out of the wait of their parents was profoundly used by God.  Profoundly.

The longer He stretches out and defers our hope, the greater His mercy and the more profound His glory.  And as I continued to wait after making the connection, my faith was spurred.  Knowing that He had something really, really good coming.

this week in review

Day One:

What is your  biggest fear overall or in this particular season of life?  How has God taught you to hope in order to set that fear aside?

Day Two:

Keeping the Matthew Henry quote in mind, how are your spiritual garments currently looking?  Have you been able to recognize areas of your life where the thread might be knotted?

Day Three:

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.  Great is His faithfulness.  Always.  What is your bright hope for tomorrow?

Day Four:

At this very moment, what is one specific thing you are hoping for?  And are you simply hoping for the want of it, or that God will glorify Himself using it?

Day Five:

As I touched on above, I love the idea that His mercy is given in proportion to our waiting and hoping for Him.  The longer you wait, and the longer you hope, the greater His mercy and His reward.  How have you seen that in your own life, or the life of someone you love?

a peek at next week

My eyes fill with tears at the anticipation of this next week.  Because I wept as I finished writing it.  Because I understand His sovereignty in a way I didn’t before the week was written.  Before Shawna died.  Before hope was deferred.  Friends, we are in the home stretch.  And I can’t wait for you to dig into these last five days of homework.

This week’s nugget:

Then Job answered the LORD and said:
I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
Job 42:1

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