Give God Time.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Society’s rapid quest to move us in the direction of instantaneous results has left a strange mark on our way of thinking. We want everything quicker. In a way, we refuse to acknowledge that who we become and when we arrive will always take time. We aren’t gadgets or robots. We have emotions and behaviors that are complex in nature. We do not always arrive at conclusions as quickly as we’d like to believe, and overcoming our shortcomings takes more time and effort than we sometimes care to give.

Our spiritual life is no different.

We’ve whittled God down to a glorified wish granter who should just give us what we want exactly when we want it, because that’s the way these things should work. We doubt God because we believe He will choose no instead of yes. We become impatient when change doesn’t happen on our time. We wonder why God isn’t moving faster. Well, the answer is not as complicated as we’d like to think.

God needs time because we need time. For example – when I first worked on this website, I found myself at a familiar crossroads. Please know, I’m a firm believer that when life keeps repeating itself, it’s God’s way of strongly suggesting that we need to learn to make different choices. I needed to decide between career goals and spiritual goals. There wasn’t enough time to achieve both in the way that I wanted.

Previously, I had chosen my job

… several times over. I had told God I would pick things back up once work got settled. The truth is that work never gets settled. We must change the state of play. So this time, I decided to make a different choice. I would put my corporate ambitions on hold and instead focus on my spiritual ones. In the end, the dividends on that choice have been so overwhelming, they are beyond measure. God had so much in store for me, but I needed time to grow into what was next.

I needed time to learn the best way to prioritize. I needed time to understand what was most important to me. I needed time to understand the concept of obedience. There was so much I needed to learn before God could bless me with more. He knew this and so He took His time. He opened doors when I needed them, and closed others when He knew they needed to go away. He could only help me when I was ready to receive His good above my own. He would only push my life forward when I was ready to take on the challenges with grace instead of murmuring.

So Stop Rushing

No matter what I’ve learned along the way, the irony is this – I sometimes forget. I forget I need time. I forget God won’t do anything to diminish my probabilities of success. I forget that the journey is more important than the end result. Too often, I’m rushing for an answer because I’ve become tired of waiting. James 1:2-4 gives us an important reminder:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Patience is critical to our growth.

Patience allows us to not manufacture solutions but to wait for divine instruction. Patience allows us to maneuver through our current situations knowing that God is in control, and He will change them when the time is right. Nevertheless, patience is never an excuse for procrastination. We should always be working towards our goals; we just understand that they may not come as fast as we would like or in the manner we would prefer.

Getting in control of our emotions can be difficult. What we feel is real, and because of that, we want to act on it…but it may not be right. We get through life more successfully when we stop acting on fleeting emotions, and start assessing situations for what they really are. Patience is what allows us to do that. We can give ourselves the time to grow while God lines up what is to come next. His pace will always be best for our growth, so respect the journey and understand it is a process. Don’t try to rush to the end but don’t be so scared that you never move forward. Give God time. Every lesson won’t feel good but He’ll help you get to exactly where you need to be.