May 21, 2008

 God, Could You Please Hurry?

Amy Carroll

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

Ecclesiastes 3: 11 (NIV)

Devotion:

Those of us that have lived in rural areas know that tractors on the road are a fact of life. However, just because they are a fact of life doesn't make them any less irritating if you're in a hurry! I followed a tractor down one of our narrow two-*** roads recently. At one point I completely lost my patience for its pace and started yelling (unheard--thank goodness), "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" It didn't speed up the tractor at all.

How many times have I approached God's timing the same way? And it never hurries Him up either.

I admit God often does not operate at a pace that pleases me, and I want Him to hurry, hurry, hurry! I'm thinking Sarah, Abraham's wife, felt the same way. After waiting 10 years for a baby that God had promised Abraham (read Genesis 12-21 for the complete story), Sarah decided to "help" God. Surely 10 years was too long for anybody to wait. So Sarah gave her maidservant Hagar to her husband, and the two of them had a child. Soon the two women were at odds. Talk about a soap-opera! Finally, fifteen years later, the child promised by God to Abraham and Sarah was born. God was not late. His timing was perfect. It was Sarah who was in a hurry and rushing things, but she found out that there was a price to pay for manipulating her circumstances.

I know Sarah and I are not alone in our desire for God to hurry up. I once heard it said that we are people with gods on our wrists.

In Isaiah 55:9, God says, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (NIV) God's timing is part of His ways. I may be tapping my watch, but He is never late. He may seem slow, but He is always right on time.

Has God made a promise to you that is slow in coming? Has He planted a dream in your heart that has yet to come to fruition? Don't give up hope! God is faithful, and you can rely on His perfect timing. Fix your eyes on Him and enjoy the journey to your destination. There are things to be learned along the way that will enhance the joy of a promise fulfilled.

Dear Lord, sometimes I don't understand your timing. It's often very hard to wait, but I trust You. I want to rely on Your ways and Your timing. Help me to learn what I need to learn as I wait. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Related Resources: 

Do You Know Him?

What Happens When Women Walk in Faith by Lysa TerKeurst

Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God Speaks By Pricilla Shirer

Visit Amy Carroll's Blog

Application Steps: 

Write down some of the plans or dreams that you believe that God has placed in your heart.

Consider if have you manipulated circumstances to try to see those dreams come true, or if you're focused on God's timing?

Reflections: 

Am I truly committed to waiting for God's timing?

What does God want me to learn in times of waiting?

Power Verses:

Psalm 130:5, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." (NIV)

2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (NIV)

© 2008 by Amy Carroll. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

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