Psalm 37:7
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. (NLT)

I find myself fascinated by videos that show up on my Facebook feed. You know the ones, where the videos are sped up and someone pressure washes an entire driveway and sidewalk, or builds a tiny house from bottom to top, or completely restores an old car, or repairs a hole in drywall, or perfectly mows a large yard -  all in about 30 seconds. It’s oddly satisfying to watch productivity happen so quickly! But how many of us would actually take time to watch the same videos in real-time? Fast videos can create the false impression that big things can be done well in virtually no time at all.

We wrapped up the teaching Sunday called Slow Mo—What We Can Learn from the Life of Moses. Moses was one of the most significant people in the Bible used by God to fulfill His purpose. But it would take all 120 years of Moses’ life for the plan to completely unfold. In fact, the last 40 years of Moses’ life were basically a holding pattern while God intentionally delayed the Israelites from entering The Promised Land. Decades of sin and disobedience needed to be purged before The Promised Land could be claimed. I heard a theologian say that this arduous time of wandering and waiting in the wilderness wasn’t about just getting God’s people out of Egypt, but getting Egypt out of God’s people. 

When I meet with people who are experiencing difficulties or are in need of healing, I will most always say, “Better days and healing are ahead, but everything will move slower than you want.” We seem to be more impatient than ever. Well, I’ll speak for myself. I’m impatient. I don’t like to wait. I hope we can learn together this week a little more about how growth and blessings most often come through difficulty and waiting.

Monday’s Reflection

Pay attention this week to moments when you find yourself impatient. What are the triggers? So often, impatience can be related to pride. We think we deserve things on our terms. Use these moments as a time to remember all the things God gives us that we don’t deserve. Let us know if we can help by praying for you. You can find out how to text your campus for prayer here.