7 Ways to Not Hurry God
Hurry Up!
Let’s go!
We’re late!
It is the world we live in. It is fast paced and performance driven. The more we complete, the more we succeed by the world’s standards.
I believe in hard work. I believe in doing all things in excellence.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. –1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV
But there is an imbalance in our lives. We have a growing propensity for immediate gratification which has, in turn, caused impatience to become a viral monster.
We want to hurry God, but impatience simply doesn’t work in His world.
Are you in a place right now where you have a dream? A hope? A stirring? Or maybe you know beyond the shadow of a doubt to what you have been called, but it’s not happening according to the timeline you have planned?
It’s that place of limbo.
Of waiting.
And it stinks!
Waiting for the
Job
Spouse
Child
Ministry
Home
Paycheck
Healing
Reconciliation
We’ve all been there. I remember waiting during the adoption process and the continued waiting for the healing of our child. Now I wait right here in this blog space. In this passion for writing about Him and to encourage others. But, I am in a season of life where my working hours are very limited and inconsistent. Life feels a bit chaotic and sometimes I allow the thought of giving up on this dream to cross my mind.
So, what do we do when life isn’t happening according to our timeliness? Do we give up? Get miserable? Get stuck? Do we try to hurry God?
No, friends, that’s not what we should do!
I’m reminded of a time when the disciples had only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to feed five thousand people. Jesus showed them that if they give what they have, be it little or great, He will do the rest.
As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”
But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”
“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered.
“Bring them here,” he said. Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children! –Matthew 14:13-21 NLT
I don’t have food for the 5000 right now. All I have is 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.
Sometimes I get anxious about what I have to give. I fret. I get emotional. Ultimately, I find myself extremely frustrated.
But the truth of the matter is that I need Jesus to make my offering “enough”. It’s not about me running back out to the water to catch more fish, or me staying up all hours of the night making sure there is just enough there. It’s not about working myself into the ground. Jesus said, “Bring them here.”
Bring what you have to offer to Me and I will fulfill the need.
Yes. He has placed a call on each of our lives. He has given us hopes, dreams, and responsibilities. But we cannot confuse our roles. We need Jesus. We need to listen and to obey while giving the best of what we have to give. Then we trust Him to do the rest. In His way and in His time.
We can't do it all on our own.Timing is not in our control.We need Jesus. #called #waiting Share on X
For me, that may mean I don’t have the answers for the healing right now. And it may mean my book will come later rather than sooner.
But that’s okay because if I say I trust God then I say I trust His timing as well. Surrendering that control is tough. Living in a way to not hurry God is tough. But if we make purposeful choices each day to surrender our best to Him, we can learn to wait well.
Below are 7 strategies I intentionally use to help myself not hurry God. I hope they help you, too!
7 Ways to Not Hurry God>We CAN wait well.It's tough,but doable. #youcanthurryGod #waitingwell Share on X
7 Ways to Not Hurry God
- Pray Thank God for the work He is doing in You and will continue to do. Praise Him for the writing of perfect stories. For His perfect timing. Share with Him the burdens on your heart. Cry out for what aches. Ask Him to be your strength, your wisdom, your guidance, your joy. Be bold. Ask Him for all that you need, but surrender to Him accepting that it be His will that is done.
- Keep encouraging scripture at the forefront of your mind. Here is a list of great verses while you wait.
- Remember that all we have belongs to God. Including our bodies and our minds. It is on loan to us from a dear Friend. How will we treat it? Abuse it? Wear it out? No. How we use what He gives us matters!
- Trust Him with what He gives us and what He takes away.
- Choose joy. God provides us moments to treasure along the journey. Some are incredibly small and some are great big. Be looking for each one. Acknowledge them and embrace them.
- Live each moment fully. Living doesn’t have to wait until the goal is accomplished. Don’t find yourself saying, “I’ll be happy when _______.” Be happy now. In spite of your circumstances.
- Focus on God instead of circumstances. If we focus on the moves He is making rather than the condition of our circumstances, we will see progress and we will see Him. Focusing on our circumstances keeps us stuck in negativity. It is a mind shift that makes all the difference while we wait.
Join me for more in the first two posts of this series, Are You Called? Those posts can be found here and here!
We live in a time where, if our minds do not stay fixed on Christ and the good that is Him, we can watch our hope quickly fade away. We all need reminders and encouragement to stay focused on Him. And, in turn, keep our hope alive.
So, before you go …
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Ahhh loved this. I’m right there with you sweet sister!!! And I can’t wait for your link-up!!!! xoxoxoxox Shannon
I’m so thankful to have you along this journey with me, Shannon!! Big hugs!!
Girl, you are speaking right to me. When I compare my rate of growth to the rate of others, I’m discouraged. When I compare my courage to the courage of others, discouraged again. But I just need to trust in God’s daily steps for me. I may be the last one on the path, but I’m still on the path and He’s leading the way. My favorite tip was Choose Joy! With God, no matter what step I’m on I CAN enjoy each and every one, even if it takes me twice as long to get to the next step as the person ahead of me, lol. Thank you for your encouragement!
My heart to yours! The comparison thing is awful. In the world we live in now, we are bombarded by other examples over and over again each day. It makes it so difficult to NOT compare. But that is when we most need God and when our faith can strengthen. It is something I struggle with often and have to be very intentional about giving it back to Him and speaking His truth over my individual journey. If God has me in last place, there must be someone or something there He needs me to be obedient to 🙂
Many hugs,
Lori
What a timely post for each of us. I think we’re all waiting on something . . . and we get impatient. Your seven points are spot on. Especially – “Trust Him with what He gives and what He takes away.” That was a really hard one for me to learn, but there is so much truth. He is always working and always present. I will simply trust and follow. Blessings to you! Thanks for this you know I needed it!
I agree, Deb. Trusting Him with what He gives and what He takes away was/is the hardest for me as well. I’m so thankful God used these words for His perfect timing! And know, I am praying, sweet friend.
Hugs,
Lori
I’m so excited for you and what God is doing in your life, Lori! I can’t wait for your linkup and I’ll happily join you when you get started. I’m looking forward to the #MomentsofHope already.
Blessings, my friend!
Hi sweet Marva! I’m so thankful to have you with me on the journey! Big Hugs,
Lori
What a wonderful read. God is so good and everything is in His time.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I am so glad you enjoyed your time here today!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
I needed to read this today. Patience. Not rushing God. It’s all in His perfect timing. Thank you for sharing your sweet words of wisdom, Lori.
Dawn, I’m so thankful these were timely words for you today!
Many hugs, my friend!
Lori
Hi Lori! Sounds to me like a season of waiting has ended, and a new, exciting future is coming! Congrats on your new blogging adventure 🙂
I always need to read about waiting. Seems like I do a TON of that! (I am also an adoptive mother, so I know about that waiting too.) It’s good to know that waiting is also a sacred season, it’s just quieter. And sometimes, I need quiet!
Blessings,
Ceil
I like that … “waiting is a sacred season”. What a beautiful perspective! Thanks so much, Ceil, for the kind words and for joining in on the conversation!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Remember that all we have belongs to God—this truth brings a much needed perspective to each day. Every relationship, every hardship, every blessing, every struggle, finances, friendship…it all belongs to God and we have the opportunity to steward these gifts. I look forward to your new link-up Lori!
Thanks so much, Angela! I can’t wait to see you there!
Hugs,
Lori
Lori, so excited to hear about the leading and clarity you are experiencing — Moments of Hope sounds like a lovely Monday place! Looking forward to hearing more!
I hope you join me at #MomentsofHope! Your posts are always filled with much hope!
What a great list of ways to not hurry God, Lori,
I love the idea of keeping scripture handy and right in front of us all the time!
Thanks for sharing these words of hope today!
Blessings,
Melanie
Thanks for stopping by, Melanie! I love your visits!
Great post and glad to be your neighbor at Live Free Thursday. Have a blessed weekend. <3
Thank you so much for this! I really needed to be reminded of this! I am in the waiting stage of something that has been on my heart and is a need for our family for a long time. I trust God that he will bring it to pass, but sometimes it’s harder to wait then others, especially when I have been waiting so long. Thanks again for sharing your heart and these great truths to hold onto during the waiting!
Hi Rebekah,
I am so thankful this was a good word for you today! I know waiting is part of life, but I also know it is difficult. Sending hugs your way and praying for your situation!!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Your post reminded me of Abraham and Sarah, who tried to hurry God. So much to learn from them because we tend to do the same.
Lori, oh how I identify with waiting! I used to question God and wonder if I had really heard from Him. And then I came across Psalm 105:19 that says, “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.” I realized at that point that with God it’s more about the process than the end result. He will fulfill the dreams, but it’s building our character and working on our hearts that really matter to Him. Such a hard lesson to wrap my brain around sometimes! But He is faithful and I know following Him will lead me in the right direction. Thanks for sharing this today. This was definitely a reminder that I needed to hear. ?
Very cool! I will be try to visit the Linkup Monday! Sounds wonderful : ) Thank you also for the post- these are great tips for me and my inpatient heart!
I’m so glad you stopped by to visit, Bethany! And I look forward to connecting more!
I just found your blog, Lori. You have such a sweet spirit about you. I thought this post was great – especially #6, Live Each Moment Fully. My husband and I are going through a rough patch financially, and we are waaaaiiiiiiting for God to bring our careers into their fulness. It’s hard not to be future-focused, but rather to embrace the beauty and blessings of today. Thanks for the encouragement!