Do you sometimes find it hard to be patient as you wait for something good that is yet to come?

Genesis 49:8-12

8 “Judah,your brothers will praise you;

your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you.

9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah;

you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down,

like a lioness-who dares to rouse him?

10 The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

until he to whom it belongs shall come

and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch;

he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.

At the end of his life, Jacob calls his sons around him to  leave each of them his blessing and to “tell you what will happen in days to come”. What an amazing gift from God to Jacob – to be given a glimpse into the future of each of his sons! As I listen to his words, there is a sense of timelessness  about  them –  almost a melding of past, present and future as the words of the prophecy are spoken. Not all the pictures painted here are pretty, but these words to Judah are beautiful. There is praise, victory, the majesty of a lion, royalty, plenty. Judah’s will be the royal line, holding and passing down the sceptre to “he to whom it belongs” – the true king. This one to whom the sceptre belongs arrived on earth thirty-eight generations later. I struggle to comprehend this amount of time, the extent of story told in the meantime, as the Jews waited for their true ruler and saviour to come. Jesus was also promised even long before this moment though – back even from the dawn of humanity. I am amazed, overwhelmed and so thankful that God sits patiently outside of our sense of time. He promised Jesus so long ago, and waited, along with his people, what seems like such a long time to us, for the right time to come. We have seen Jesus, but still wait for the future fulfilment and full redemption of this world. This is the promise we are given and wait for. These are the prophetic words spoken to us – that God is with us and will be with us, and will set all things right. When things in this world are particularly tough, I find it hard to be patient for what is to come. My heart aches without tears sometimes for the restoration of all this world, and my very self, to all that we are meant to be. The story of which we are a part is indeed an epic one. Jacob’s words to Judah remind me of God’s timely (or perhaps timeless?) faithfulness, and help to calm my impatience.

Head: Take some time to think about God as the author of the epic story of this world, and consider our limited view of “time”. How does this change for you, the challenges you face today as you seek to follow Jesus?

Heart: What are you thankful for as you consider God’s eternal perspective?

Hands: How might a more God-centred view of time change what you do and say today?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that you existed even before time. Please help me to be more thankful for all that you have done in the history of this world and in my life. Please help me to live with a greater sense of your timeless perspective in all things. Amen

A song to listen to: Shadow Feet https://open.spotify.com/track/0DD55tCwxn8CF5DkYlcjwg

Ros Cree

This Grow Daily was  originally posted as part of the God With Us – Matthew series. During the School Holidays we take the opportunity to look back at the Grow Dailys over the years.