Blog Post 13// God is Slow — Part 3
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:4
Let’s close out this particular thought: God is slow…at least, slower than what we typically want.
Catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 for the whole pie.
Here’s where we left things:
Don’t try to get ahead of God when He isn’t moving fast enough for you.
Weirdly enough, the Dumbo ride at Disney World helped me with this.
As you wait to board, you enter an air-conditioned playground—in Florida, in the summer, AND there are seats for the parents. This may have been my favorite part of the day.
I can sit down and cool off while the kids leave me alone thank you, Jesus!
The ride is your basic, up and down flying in a circle for 2 minutes on a Dumbo (why do we wait for this?!?! Sorry, not the point.).
But the playground!
In this case it’s odd, but it’s the wait that’s great. The ride is eh, but the wait is great!
I think it’s possible to get to a place where we understand that God’s timing is different than ours. We even learn to accept it because His track record is just too good. He is a master of weaving stories together, making sure things line up exactly how they need to and proving His faithfulness to us—over and over again.
I don’t always love how He does it, but He does it perfectly—if I’m patient.
The question for me isn’t:
Will God come through?
Is God even there?
When, God, when?
Why, God, why?
Okay, sometimes it is, I’ll be honest. Because, again, I am Veruca Salt, also Doubting Thomas, Peter with a sword, Abram getting impatient to see the promise, the mocking thief on the cross, frightened Gideon, Joseph’s jealous brothers, David’s mean brothers ETC ETC ETC. I am all those people from time to time, sure! But most times that’s not my question because I know He is working on it, working on me, lining it up perfectly and completely for my good.
So what is my question? It’s this:
Well, then what in the world do I do in the meantime???
I know you got it, God, but you take things kinda slow, so, what do I do WHILE I wait?
Dumbo.
The secret to patience is doing something else in the meantime.
Something good.
Something worthwhile.
Something that points you in the direction you’re wanting to go or helps you maintain the proper perspective.
I can think of 20 things that help do that, and sometimes it is sitting in an air-conditioned room, resting and cooling off before you head back out to feel the fury of a Florida summer.
How many times does the Bible say something having to do with rest? A lot!
What else helps while you wait?
Worship
Prayer
Encouraging someone
Serving others
Being generous
A good sleep
Preparation (What if you aren’t ready to receive what you’re waiting for?)
Time with friends
Declaring the promises of God over and over again
Here’s a curveball as I close: Sometimes God will come through on His promises and you’ll actually miss when you were waiting. WHAT?!?
It’s true.
There’s something about His presence in the waiting seasons that we don’t get otherwise. James tells us up top: enjoy the wait, because there’s a perfecting and completing and fulfillment happening—you just don’t see it yet.
But you will.
There’s a special closeness in the meantime, so let the meantime be glean time…ahem.
Don’t be a Dumbo. Hang out in the playground as long as possible. It’s good for the soul.