Daily Devotional
Are You Impatient with God?

September 21, 2023

Ponder This

Have you ever become impatient with the Lord, wondering why God doesn’t move sooner? Did you know you can do the right thing at the wrong time? Moses sought to deliver the children of Israel, but he didn’t wait on God, so he ended up killing an Egyptian and spent forty years on the back side of the desert, going around in circles (Exodus 2:11-22). He moved before God moved.

Jesus was never in a hurry; Jesus was never late; and Jesus accomplished everything God gave Him to do. Now, I’m sure many people were impatient with Jesus; they wanted to know, “Jesus, why aren’t you in a bigger rush?” Jesus spent thirty years in a carpenter’s shop. We might think, “Hey, if you’re the Messiah, why are you wasting thirty years?” Do you know what He said repeatedly? “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4; see also 2:7). He was waiting on God.

Mary and Martha came to Jesus saying, “Come, help, Lazarus is sick” (John 11:3, author’s paraphrase). Jesus delayed and waited until Lazarus was dead, and then He came and raised him. At first, the people were pouting, then they were praising. Trust God’s timing.

• When have you tried to do something in your time instead of God’s? How did that work out?
• What makes it difficult to trust God’s timing?

Practice This

Make a list of the things you are impatient with God about. Ask Him to guide you to patience in those areas.