The NIV 365 Day Devotional
How can I be more patient?
It’s not easy to wait on God. When we’re waiting for him to answer our prayers —for example, to work in the heart of an unsaved friend or to heal a serious illness of a close family member —we may begin to wonder if he’s even listening. Here’s Amber’s story:
“When I turned 16, I wanted a car so badly. I knew God could provide me with one, but he didn’t. I got so impatient with him.
“Looking back, I see I was so focused on what I thought I needed that I was often unable to enjoy the things God had already given me. I never stopped to think that God knew what was best for me. I came to realize that God gives us what we need when we need it, and we have an opportunity to work with him to see things happen.”
Even when it doesn’t feel like it, God is good to those whose hope is in him (v. 25). We can trust him with every situation. We can also know that he has a purpose for our waiting. God wants to bring us to a point of surrender, a place where we’re willing to say, “No matter what happens, I trust you.” He wants to be, as this passage says, our portion (v. 24) so that in any situation we can say, “God, you are all I need.”
Taken from the NIV Quest Study Bible for Teens.