Do you ever feel like you are running on a perpetual treadmill in life? Or, perhaps you have felt like you are always spinning your wheels in life and are never really getting anywhere. Maybe you feel like you are constantly running and can’t catch your breath. I’m convinced that this feeling is the result of living in such a fast-paced world. Pressure is on us to be successful. We have places to go and people to see! We are often in such a hurry to arrive at our destination that we cannot enjoy the journey.
The Bible tells us in Genesis that God promised to make Abraham a great nation. He would be the father of many nations. God had promised that he and his wife, Sarah, would have a son of promise. Yet by the time we get to Genesis 17, Abraham is 99 years old and he and Sarah are still waiting. God reassures him that he and Sarah will have a son. It is hard for him to understand, but he believes God and trusts His promise. Abraham and Sarah both learn that God’s promise is worth waiting for and would require patience.
God is seldom in a hurry. In fact, the only passages in Scripture where God tells us to hurry are in reference to being saved from judgment. God wants us to make haste when it comes to fleeing to the cross for refuge. We should always hurry to be obedient. In the parable of the prodigal son, the father is in a hurry to get to his wayward son, which illustrates that God hurries to rescue repentant sinners. But everywhere else in Scripture we find God slowly working to bring about His own purposes. Our lack of patience is always a matter of our flesh. Galatians 5:22-23 says that patience is a fruit of the Spirit that is supernaturally produced in our lives as we submit to Christ. When we live a hurried life, we frustrate God’s Spirit and stymie our own spiritual growth.
Why are we always in such a hurry? Most of the things in my life that I worry and hurry through are things that ultimately don’t even matter. When we live our lives with such a sense of hurry, we will always miss out on enjoying the journey. James 1:4 says, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Patience is essential to spiritual growth. Don’t be in such a hurry to get somewhere that you can’t enjoy God’s presence where you presently are. Slow down, catch your breath, enjoy the journey, and rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ.