God Is Never In A Hurry, He’s Always On Time

In review of James 1:4 it says, “Don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed.”

Bottom Line:

Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won’t need anything.

What this means to me:

I should not try to get out of anything prematurely but rather learn to endure everything until my period of testing or waiting is over. I need to let it do it’s work so that I can become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. In the end I’ll have everything I need. This verse reminds me that I need to be patient with God and myself. Frustration occurs because God’s timetable is rarely the same as mine. I can be often in a hurry when God isn’t. At times I can feel frustrated with the seemingly slow progress I’m making. I just need to remember that God is never in a hurry, he is always on time. He will use my entire lifetime to prepare me for my role in eternity. The Bible is filled with examples of how God uses a long process to develop character, especially in leaders. He took 80 years to prepare Moses, including 40 in the wilderness. For 14,600 days Moses kept waiting and wondering, “Is it time yet?” But God kept saying, “Not yet.” Contrary to popular book titles, there are no “Easy Steps to Maturity” or “Secrets of Instant Sainthood.” When God wants to make a giant oak, he takes a hundred years, but when he wants to make a mushroom, he does it overnight. Great souls are grown through struggles and storms and seasons of suffering. So, I am to be patient with the process. James advised, “Don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed” (James 1:4b MSG). I should not become discouraged. When Habakkuk became depressed because he didn’t think God was acting quickly enough, God had this to say: “These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!” (Habakkuk 2:3 LB) A delay may not necessarily be a denial from God. I should keep in mind just how far I’ve come, not just how far I have to go. I may not be where I want to be, but neither am I where I used to be. God isn’t finished with me, so I need to keep on moving forward. Even the snail reached the ark by persevering! I’m currently in a long process of healing from my infection. My mind tends to want to speed my healing along to get to the next phase and return fully to normal. I need to remember that God works in his timing and he wants to heal me at his pace. I’ve grown up in a microwave society where things can cook very quickly and problems in TV shows are solved within an hour. It’s hard to be patient. I know God is at work and his timing is perfect, but I want problems to be over quickly. I will hold onto what God has done for me up till now to encourage me as I wait on God’s timing.