“I waited patiently for the LORD's help; then he listened to me and heard my cry.”Psalm 40:1 (GNT)
God isn’t in a hurry with your spiritual growth. You may think he’s in a hurry, but he’s not. He’s using your current circumstances to develop your character and make you stronger. He’s patient.
Most people, on the other hand, are impatient. Many of our problems are caused by our inability to wait. We get into debt because we don’t know how to delay gratification, buying things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't even like.
Some people even get into relationships they shouldn’t get into because they don’t know how to delay gratification. They say, “I want sex now; I don’t want to wait” or “I want companionship now, even if it’s with the wrong person.” And their impatience leads to problems.
The good news is that, with prayer, you can recover from problems caused by your impatience. The Bible says, “I waited patiently for the LORD's help; then he listened to me and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1 GNT).
Remember: God is never in a hurry. Did you know there isn’t an example of Jesus running anywhere in the Bible? In fact, it took him three days to go a mile and a half to get to his friend, Lazarus, who was very sick. And by the time Jesus got to him, it was too late—Lazarus had already died.
But Jesus had a bigger plan in mind. He didn't want to heal Lazarus—he wanted to raise him from the dead. He wanted to do a miracle. And that’s exactly what happened. Jesus walked up to Lazarus’ tomb, told them to roll the stone away, and said, “Lazarus, come forth.” And Lazarus did!
Sometimes a situation can get so bad that it makes you want to take matters into your own hands. But don’t take shortcuts. Instead, trust in God’s perfect timing and expect a miracle! The Bible says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12 NIV).
God already knows what he’s going to do in your life next month, next year, and in the next decade. His timing is perfect, and his plan for your life is good and worth waiting for.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Your Gift Brings Hope to the World
God has dreams for your life!
In Pastor Rick’s book "Created to Dream: The 6 Phases God Uses to Grow Your Faith," you’ll learn how to discover God’s custom-made dream for your life—a dream that is bigger and better than anything you could ever dream up on your own! And you’ll find practical help for navigating challenges, delays, and detours that stand in your way.
We’d love to send you a copy as our way of saying thank you for your generous gift below to help take the hope of Jesus to more people through Daily Hope.
Request yours when you give today—and thank you for your partnership!
*All gifts will be doubled up to the full amount of the grant. Thank you for your generous support! *The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.