“Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (13:12a). Time is a powerful force. A friend recently quoted Proverbs 13:12a after his overseas flight home was delayed a second time. Verse 10b confirms what we already know: that a longing becoming satisfied is pleasurable. Yet reading the verse against the backdrop of the whole chapter, we see that the wise and righteous have an intuitive sense of patience and willingness to wait for rewards (cf. 13:11; cf. 14:29; 15:18; 16:32; 25:17). What