“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evil.” Psalm 37:7-8
In our North American culture, more and more we have but one speed…full speed ahead. We want it now! We want it our way…NOW! Fast food is often not fast enough these days. Sadly, it seems that there are more parking spots designated for people having to wait for their food after going through the drive-thru window. It’s frustrating when you’re in a hurry and God isn’t. And God never seems to be in a hurry!
I remember reading in the Bible that a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day to God. Living on this side of Paradise, we should know by now that one of the most useless things to try to do is to speed up God. When we try to take matters into our own hands and help God out, we get in trouble.
When your church puts together a program after months of prayer and finally gets ready to turn a shovel of dirt but then are forced into God’s waiting room, you may start trying to figure out ways of fulfilling God’s project on your own, without His help. That is a Red Light you don’t want to run.
Trust God’s timing. When Trinity HOPE considers starting new programs to feed additional children in Haiti, they pray and wait. And sometimes their waiting is a time of resting. And resting can be an act of faith. It means you’re waiting on God. If we hurry in our decisions, we will probably fret and worry. When we live like that, we’re not living by faith; we’re focused on our desires and feeble time tables. We need to wait on Jesus.
Jesus is always with you, and you can always trust His timing. Worry only makes you miserable. If you’re delayed on the way to your project, stop worrying and start trusting God to work in you and through you.
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you,
Jay