23 May | Teens
«Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.» Psalm 42:11
Have you ever had to wait for something you really wanted? Sometimes it can be hard to have patience, especially when we want something right away. In Psalm 42, we learn a valuable lesson about waiting on God. The psalmist says: “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” This means that the psalmist trusted God and waited for Him to act at the right time.
Many biblical characters, such as Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, had to wait many years to see God’s promises fulfilled in their lives. They show us that even if it takes time, God always keeps His promises when we cry out. When we wait patiently, we learn to trust God more and understand that He knows what is best for us. That He hears us. Patience teaches us that God’s best comes at the right time, not ours, and that when we wait, we will see that it was all worth it and we will still praise Him for it!
Take Action
Create a “Tree of Patience” on a piece of paper or poster board. Draw a tree with lots of branches but no leaves. Each day, while waiting for something (it could be an answer to prayer, a special event, etc.), add a leaf to the tree. On each piece of paper, write something you are grateful for or a lesson you learned from that day of waiting. At the end of a period (a week, for example), see how many leaves your tree has gained and reflect on the growth that occurred during the wait.