Topic: God Isn’t in a Hurry [RICK WARREN Devotional 25 July 2021]
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God Isn’t in a Hurry
BY RICK WARREN — JULY 25, 2021
“I waited patiently for the LORD’s help; then he listened to me and heard my cry.”
Psalm 40:1 (GNT)God isn’t in a hurry with your spiritual growth. You may think he’s in a hurry, but he’s not. He’s using your current circumstances to develop your character and make you stronger. He’s patient.
Most people, on the other hand, are impatient. Many of our problems are caused by our inability to wait. We get into debt because we don’t know how to delay gratification, buying things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t even like.
Some people even get into relationships they shouldn’t get into because they don’t know how to delay gratification. They say, “I want sex now; I don’t want to wait” or “I want companionship now, even if it’s with the wrong person.” And their impatience leads to problems.
The good news is that, with prayer, you can recover from problems caused by your impatience. The Bible says, “I waited patiently for the LORD‘s help; then he listened to me and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1 GNT).
Remember: God is never in a hurry. Did you know there isn’t an example of Jesus running anywhere in the Bible? In fact, it took him three days to go a mile and a half to get to his friend, Lazarus, who was very sick. And by the time Jesus got to him, it was too late—Lazarus had already died.
But Jesus had a bigger plan in mind. He didn’t want to heal Lazarus—he wanted to raise him from the dead. He wanted to do a miracle. And that’s exactly what happened. Jesus walked up to Lazarus’ tomb, told them to roll the stone away, and said, “Lazarus, come forth.” And Lazarus did!
Sometimes a situation can get so bad that it makes you want to take matters into your own hands. But don’t take shortcuts. Instead, trust in God’s perfect timing and expect a miracle! The Bible says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12 NIV).
God already knows what he’s going to do in your life next month, next year, and in the next decade. His timing is perfect, and his plan for your life is good and worth waiting for.
- What’s the number one change you would like to experience in your life? What do you sometimes do to speed this change along?
- How does knowing that God isn’t in a hurry affect your patience level?
- What would life look like for you if you relaxed more and trusted in God’s timing?