"The Benefits of Waiting"

October 11, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Benefits of Waiting" 1 Samuel 25:32-34 New International Version 32 David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. 33 May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 34 Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.” Whatever you do when conflicts arise, be wise. If you're not careful, you will handle conflicts in the energy of the flesh. And then . . . you'll be sorry. Fight against jumping to quick conclusions and seeing only your side. Look both ways. Weigh the differences. There are always two sides on the streets of conflict. Weigh the differences. The other part of being wise is to pray. Get God's perspective. He gives us the wisdom we need when we ask Him for it. Take each conflict as it comes . . . and handle it separately. You may have won a battle yesterday, but that doesn't count when today's battle comes. You may have a great measure of patience today, but it makes no difference tomorrow when the attack comes again. God doesn't give you patience on credit. Every day is a new day. Whenever you realize that there's nothing you can do, wait. Wait patiently. Impossible impasses call for a firm application of brakes. Don't keep going. Restrain yourself from anything hasty. Whenever possible, apply the brakes! Slow down. We seldom made wise decisions in a hurry. When you wait, your situation may not change, but you will. In fact, you may discover that the reason for waiting was all for your benefit, because you're the one who needed to change.