Scripture Focus: “Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.” — Proverbs 3:28
There are few foods that demand quite as much attention as an avocado.
On Monday, a man brings home a beautiful one from the grocery store already tasting the avocado toast he plans to make. Thick sourdough toasted crisp around the edges, creamy avocado spread generously across the top, sliced tomato, a sprinkle of salt and herbs, and just enough lemon to brighten the whole thing.
Frankly, he would like it now.
Unfortunately, the avocado has other plans. He gives it a hopeful squeeze and discovers that it has roughly the same consistency as a baseball. Cutting into it now would be an act of desperation and a terrible waste of perfectly good sourdough, so he reluctantly puts it on the counter to ripen.
Tuesday morning, he checks again. There is progress. At least he thinks there is. He squeezes it, turns it over, squeezes it again—as though perhaps the other side has been ripening in a different time zone. Close, but not close enough. Tuesday evening brings another inspection and another return to the counter.
By now, he has exercised remarkable patience for a man who has mentally eaten the same piece of avocado toast at least six times.
Then Wednesday comes.
He picks it up and immediately feels it—that elusive little give. Not hard. Not mushy. Just right. After all that waiting, the avocado is finally ready.
The problem is, now he isn’t.
He is running late. There isn’t time to make the toast he has been looking forward to, and surely one more day won’t matter. So back on the counter it goes.
Thursday turns out to be just as busy. He sees the avocado sitting there and thinks about it, but tomorrow will be better. He will actually have time to enjoy it.
Friday morning, he finally has time. The sourdough goes into the toaster, filling the kitchen with that warm, yeasty smell as the edges turn golden and crisp. He slices the tomato, reaches for the avocado he has been anticipating all week, and runs the knife around the middle.
He knows something is wrong almost immediately.
The avocado feels much softer beneath his hand than it did two days ago. When he tries to pull the halves apart, the flesh gives beneath his fingers instead of separating cleanly. And when he finally gets it open, the smooth, buttery green he has been imagining is heavily mottled with dark brown bruising. Stringy brown fibers run through what little green remains, while the flesh around the pit has become soft, wet, and discolored.
After all that waiting, he missed it.
Not because the right moment never came. It did.
He simply assumed it would still be there when he was ready for it.
I wonder how often that happens with the opportunities we ask God to give us.
We pray, “Lord, use me.” We ask Him to give us someone to encourage, someone to help, or an opportunity to speak about Christ. We sincerely want to be useful in His hands, and we watch for an open door much like our friend watched that avocado.
Then God answers.
Only answered prayer does not always arrive at a convenient time. It may come through an unexpected conversation, a person who suddenly opens up, or a quiet prompting to call someone. And there it is—the very kind of opportunity we have been asking for.
The problem is, now we may not feel ready.
We worry about saying the wrong thing. We feel too busy, too uncertain, too inexperienced. So we tell ourselves we will do it next time.
That is what makes Proverbs 3:28 so striking: “Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.”
There are times when waiting is obedience. But there also comes a time when waiting has done its work and the opportunity is now “by thee.”
Our friend spent days waiting for his avocado to be ready.
When it finally was, he wasn’t.
Perhaps part of praying, “Lord, use me,” is also praying, “Lord, make me ready when You do.”
Because “next time” cannot always give us back what God has placed within our reach this time.
Reflection Questions:
1. Have I been asking God for an opportunity to serve, encourage, or share Christ while overlooking one He may already have placed before me?
2. When I hesitate to respond to God’s prompting, do I genuinely need more discernment, or am I waiting to feel more comfortable, confident, or prepared?
3. Has God recently placed someone in my path whom I could encourage, help, contact, or point toward Christ while I still have the opportunity?
4. If I prayed, “Lord, make me ready for the opportunities I ask You to give me,” what might readiness require of me today?
Prayer Prompt:
Lord, give me wisdom to know when faith requires waiting and when faith requires movement. Keep me sensitive to the leading of Your Spirit and willing to respond when You place someone before me. When I feel inadequate, remind me that “our sufficiency is of God” (2 Corinthians 3:5). Give me courage to walk through the doors You open and faith to leave the results in Your hands. Amen.
If this devotional stirred your heart to follow Christ more closely and to walk with purpose, take the next step in His Word—“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalms 119:11). Keep your eyes on Jesus and let Scripture dwell richly in you day by day.
👉 Sign up for the free FAST Crash Course in Bible Memorization: http://fast.st/cc/21419
Leave a Reply