God in the Fast Lane: Please Be Patient, God Is Not Finished With Me Yet

Remember that God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time. He will use your life to shape you. Recently, I realized I was driving for the last 27,000 of my life turned to God and said, “I need to rest. Can you drive?” Since then I have felt the gentle nudges of God.

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. Remember my previous comments? God follows His plan over the course of time. At any moment, He could have introduced Jesus into the world, but that did not follow the plan.

Great souls are grown through struggles and storms and seasons of suffering, remember Job? 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).

Don’t get 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)

A delay is not a denial from God! Be patient with God and with yourself. One of life’s frustrations is that God’s timetable is rarely the same as ours. We are often in a hurry when God isn’t. You may feel frustrated with the seemingly slow progress you’re making in life.

I think we get caught up with how far we have to go and the plans we have. Remember how far you’ve come! You may not be where you are but neither are where you were. God is not finished with you yet and the snail made it to the ark by perseverance.