Ecclesiastes 11:1—“Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.”

Many Christians are familiar with this verse, and we know that it encourages us to do good things and expect good results for our efforts. But sometimes we overlook that key phrase, “after many days”. We have to be patient. The results we desire don’t always come as quickly as we would like. It may be many days before the child you have trained in the ways of the Lord finally decides to live for the Lord. It may be many days before the education you worked hard to obtain is put to good use. It may be many days before the person you keep inviting to church shows up on Sunday morning. It may be many days before your most heartfelt prayer is answered.

The Bible continually urges us to exercise patient endurance. We are assured of success in the end. It may not come about the way we had envisioned it. It certainly may not happen within the timeframe we had planned. But the Lord promises to bless our faithful efforts, and someday we will see the return for our investment.