Have been thinking about some of the most obvious differences between ourselves and people like Abraham, Ruth, and John the Baptist. For one, their lives were oriented to the seasons of an annual agricultural cycle. By contrast many of us live on the run, without being forced into the slow-down rhythm of waiting on crops and herds.
What effect do you think such technologically oriented thinking makes when reading an ancient song about people who are like a fruit bearing tree (Psalm 1), or like a harvest that is either lean or plentiful (2Peter 1:8)?
My guess is that those of us who can instantly Google for information, use refrigeration to keep our food from spoiling, or fly to the other side of the world in a day, may have a more difficult time understanding what our God is talking about when he urges us to wait on the planted seeds of faith, hope, and the patience of love.