Topic: You May Be in a Hurry, but God Is Not [RICK WARREN Devotional 28 february 2023]
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You May Be in a Hurry, but God Is Not
BY RICK WARREN — FEBRUARY 28, 2023
FROM THE LIFE YOU WERE MEANT TO LIVE
“God . . . does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doing.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NCV)
If you want to slow down your life, you’ve got to learn to trust God’s timing.
When things aren’t happening as quickly as you hoped, it’s easy to get impatient. But do you know what impatience really is? It’s a lack of trust.
When you’re impatient, it’s like you’re saying, “God, I don’t really trust you. I don’t think you have my best interest at heart. I’m in a hurry for something, and I don’t believe you know when I need it.” You get worried, you get hurried, and you start scurrying—because you don’t trust God to do things at the right time and in the right way. So instead of trusting his timing, you struggle and strive.
If you’re like most people, when you want something, you want it fast. But is fast always better? Not always.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “God . . . does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doing” (NCV).
God has a plan for your life. You probably know that. But he also has a timetable for your life. Here’s the thing: God never explains his timetable. And sometimes that can be really difficult to accept.
One of the most painful things in life is when you’re in a hurry and God’s not. As children grow up and mature, they learn the difference between “no” and “not yet.” A delay is not the same as a denial.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, you have to learn the same thing: God’s delay is not his denial. He has a plan and a timetable. And his timing is perfect.
During the 15 years that Saddleback Church grew without a building, this is the verse that God used to encourage me: “This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed” (Habakkuk 2:3 NLT).
Has God given you a vision that hasn’t become reality yet? It’s coming—but on God’s timetable. In the meantime, slow down and trust him.
Talk It Over
- Looking back over your life, when can you see that God’s “delay” in your life was for the best?
- What is the vision God has given you that you’re waiting on him to fulfill?
- What would it look like to slow down and trust God as you wait on him and his timing?
Will you follow Jesus today?
God proved his goodness through his Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 CSB).
Are you ready to trust God to fulfill his promise of eternal life? If so, pray this simple prayer: “Dear God, I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I confess I have sinned, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died to take away my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
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