Waiting for Fruit

I have been partial to the Wisdom books for about a quarter century-maybe 'cause I'm in such need of it! I was reading Eugene Peterson's excellent intro to Daniel this morning and came across this: " The stories tell of souls living faithfully in obedience to God in a time of adversity. The visions are wide screen renditions of God's sovereignty worked out among nations who couldn't care less about him.....The stories nourish a commitment to integrity and perseverance right now. Very few of us live in settings congenial to God-loyalty and among people who affirm a costly discipleship. Hardly a day goes by that we do not have to choose between compliance to what is expedient and loyalty to our Lord. The stories (the six 'soul stories' in Daniel) keep us alert to what is at stake day by day, hour by hour."

I've been letting go of something this week that I really wanted to happen. I didn't even realize how much I wanted it until the reality of it's not happening took hold. Often times it seems like we are truly the odd among odd and this thing not happening microscoped that, leaving me feeling like a "lone reed." A friend sent me her devotional from this morning; we've both been battling together this week voices of adversity and we've been taking turns lifting each other up. I'm holding fast to the following, despite circumstances: "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (Psalm 1:3).