Are You in More of a Hurry than God?

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

-2 Peter 3:9 ESV

God is not in a hurry. But we often are.

Consider this: God patiently waited while orchestrating his plan for thousands of years before sending Jesus. Now, after Jesus came for the first time, we are anxiously awaiting his second coming when he will undo everything bad. As we're told by Peter, the Lord appears to be slow but he is actually being patient so that more people will repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9). (I, for one, am glad that he was patient for 2,000 years so that I could be forgiven and part of his kingdom!)

And look at the life of Christ. He accomplished exactly what he wanted. He didn't seem to be in a rush. He even waited until about age thirty before he moved into public ministry and continued for about three years before his death and resurrection.

But our lives are busy. Our families are busy. Our workplaces are busy. Even our churches are often busy. Perhaps, as Alan Fadling points out, one of the reason that churches are busy is due to the desire to build a crowd. He writes,

Crowds also validate our work in a hurry . . . [I]n our North American context, quantitative growth of just about any kind is the primary ruler used to measure and validate a ministry. More people, more buildings, more dollars, more programs--these are considered evidence of divine blessing. Those servants who can't do any bragging about quantitative progress are assumed to be failing at doing God's work well.[1]

In other words, we like results that we can see. And we like it when the results are big and impressive.

Moreover, sometimes our busyness is simply due to overwork. Sadly, many of us only think that rest is good and okay if it is simply recharging our batteries for more work.[2] We consider ourselves human doings rather than human beings. But Scripture says: "It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep" (Psalm 127:2).

Many times, however, our overwork is simply a "failure of discernment."[3] We struggle to say no. We have trouble with determining when we need to say yes. We struggle with living within limits. We overextend ourselves.

Deep down I suppose we want our relationship with Christ and work for Christ to be measurable. Oftentimes, however, they are not measurable. Spiritual growth takes time. Sanctification is not a quick process. "In fact," as Fadling notes, "the impatience with which we seek to achieve spiritual maturity is implicit evidence of our immaturity."[4] In other words, if you are in a hurry to produce spiritual maturity then perhaps you are spiritually immature. Why? The spiritually mature are not trying to produce spiritual maturity in a microwave overnight. I know, ouch.

Fadling provides a few practical areas where we can slow our lives down : (1) driving; (2) walking; (3) email writing (perhaps we can pray for the person); (4) have low, or no, tech times; (5) be slow to speak; (6) be slow to anger; and (7) sleep more (the proper amount).[5]

I have actually heard the opposite of this taught on a Christian leadership podcast (which I will leave unnamed). Essentially, the idea was that leaders move with urgency to get things done, so look for people who are moving fast. This also seems to be the wisdom from the world. I'm sure we have all heard about the athletes, successful executives, and presidents who go without sleep to succeed. They often consider it "crucial" to their success. Basically, it gave them more time to work. (Even if it "works," at what cost? Our families? Our spiritual lives? Our health?)

Did Jesus stay up late and wake up early in order to succeed in life and ministry? This doesn't seem to be his purpose. Perhaps, occasionally, he did stay up late or wake early when he needed to go without sleep for prayer or ministry. But it doesn't seem to be the norm for Jesus. Even though the Gospels don't record every detail of his life, we can still see him balancing rest, prayer, and work for himself and his disciples. (More on that later in a subsequent post.) He even made time to sleep on a boat (in a storm!) while his team was traveling (Luke 8:22-25). Jesus sleeping on the boat in the middle of the storm seems to be an expression of his faith. Luke writes,

24 And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?"

-Luke 8:24-25 ESV

Perhaps, at times, our hurrying means we lack faith?

So, I have a confession to make: sometimes I think I'm in more of a hurry than God. Why? I am not sure. I suppose sometimes it is to produce something. Maybe other times it is for accolades. Perhaps other times it is to break beyond the normal human limits. Sometimes, I can value productivity too much. Maybe, at times, I lack faith in God to work things out.

God is all-powerful; he is capable of the most efficient productivity than can be imagined. God is present everywhere; he could accomplish anything instantaneously, if he desired. But he often chooses to be slow and patient.

God is not in a hurry. Are you?

End Notes:

[1] Alan Fadling, An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus' Rhythms of Work and Rest (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2013), 30.

[2] Ibid., 40.

[3] Ibid., 46.

[4] Ibid., 144.

[5] Ibid., 172-173.