Life Comes at You Fast. Let God Set the Pace.

I was in a rush. I needed to be there at 8:30 am. It was already after 8, and it would take me at least a half hour to get there.

Every time I exited my apartment, I would get to the car and realize that I had forgotten another something. My frustration grew, I hadn’t had my coffee or breakfast, and I was tired of the back and forth.

As I entered my home, oh… I don’t know – perhaps the 3rd or 4th time – I stopped and took a deep breath. With my eyes closed, I said, “God, I’m late, but I know that this is for a reason. I thank You that you are keeping me from something that could harm me.”

I finally got to my car without forgetting an item and I began to drive.

I came to an intersection, and as the light turned green, as I took off, a car sped around my right side to get in front of me. No sooner than this car slid in front of me, a pickup truck sped from the turning lane around my left side to do the same.

All I could do was honk my horn and yell, “Jesus!!!” As both cars almost collided in front of me, I realized that had I left a second sooner, I would have been in the middle of what could have been a terrible accident. One second sooner! That is all it would have taken for my life to be in danger.

Hurry Up and Wait… on God

This brings me to my point… See, in our walk with God, we often get frustrated with the pace that things are going. You may follow my example above and get upset when you have to keep going back and forth between where you are and where you’re going.

What we do not realize is that our frustration can cause us to move too fast and that can be detrimental to our destiny. Just as my leaving home any earlier could have caused me to be involved in an accident, so can moving too fast spiritually.

God has a set time for everything in our lives, including our blessings, our calling, and our purpose. We have got to trust His timing.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 in our PlayBook tells us that everything has a specific time in which it should come to pass. In verse eleven, it says, “He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” The verse said “his time”, not ours.

It is critical that we do not try to get ahead of God’s timing. Because He is already ahead of time, we will only set ourselves back.

SO, WHAT’S THE PLAY CALL?

It is imperative that you not leave your position – not even a second – sooner than God instructs you to. You could cause an “accident” and set yourself back or delay your blessing.

Also, understand that accelerating your speed will never zoom you beyond where God wants you to be and when. Here are a few things to help you “watch your speed”:

1. Be patient. I’m sure I’ve said this one before in a previous article, but patience applies to so many areas of our lives. Patience is that one “friend” that you have a love/hate relationship with because you need them, but their presence annoys you. “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:4
2. Rely on God. This is important because if we do not rely on Him, we will allow our own knowledge or that of others to cloud our sense of time. We must understand that giving others clearance to provide us the “time of day” will cause us to get caught in their traffic or operate outside of God’s “timezone”. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5. “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” Psalms 118:8
3. Know that God will not let you miss what is yours. Nope, He won’t. Even when it seems that everyone but you has gotten all their stuff. If He promised it to you, then you are guaranteed to receive it. “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” 2 Corinthians 1:20
4. Stop your worrying. Worrying only causes you to focus on negativity and leaves no room for the “bright side” of things. So, clear your head with some prayer and thanksgiving to God. “Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

Remember to give thanks and take God ordained delays in stride. You never know what collision He is saving you from.