Topic: Wait Patiently on God’s Timing [RICK WARREN Devotional 15 April 2023]
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Wait Patiently on God’s Timing
“Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for him to act . . . Don’t fret and worry—it only leads to harm.”
Psalm 37:7-8 (TLB)
It’s frustrating when you’re in a hurry and God isn’t. And God is never in a hurry!
The Bible says a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day to God. 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.
Proverbs 19:2 says, “Impatience will get you into trouble” (GNT).
When you get a dream from God and make the decision to go for it—but then are forced into God’s waiting room—you may start trying to figure out ways of fulfilling God’s dream on your own, without his help.
But the Bible says to trust God’s timing: “Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for him to act . . . Don’t fret and worry—it only leads to harm” (Psalm 37:7-8 TLB).
Resting can be an act of faith. It means you’re waiting on God.
One day Jesus and his disciples were in a boat caught in a raging storm. The Bible says the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. While the disciples were filled with fret and worry, Jesus had his head on a cushion and was sleeping through the storm.
The disciples woke him up and asked, “Don’t you care if we drown? Save us!” It’s easy to imagine Jesus responding, “Do you think God is going to let the boat sink with me in it?”
But, instead, Jesus spoke about the need for greater faith, and then he calmed the storm! The disciples had been worried about the wind and the waves, and Jesus showed them he had power over the wind, the waves, and any storms they would face in life.
When we get into a storm, we tend to fret and worry in the same way as the disciples. When we live like that, we’re not living by faith; we’re focused on the winds and the waves and not on the power and love of 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 dream, stop worrying and start trusting God to work in you and through you.
Talk It Over
- Why does rest so often make us feel guilty?
- What do you think God is trying to teach you while you have been delayed? What have you learned about yourself and about God in a delay by design?
- What is one thing you can change about your schedule or your expectations so that you are not tempted to try to rush God in this phase of your faith?
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