We humans are an impatient lot. We get one whiff of vision and decide that it all has to happen RIGHT NOW. When what we see as good (and what God has told us He wants for our lives) does not happen immediately, it tends to leave us frustrated.
Like everyone in college student ministry (and ministry in general), Blake and I feel this way all the time. We become excited about what God says He has in store for the future and quickly become discouraged when that future is not as near as we imagined. What are we doing wrong?
Let’s back up for a second. Since when are we in charge of the sequence of life’s events?
This brings to mind moments from the Bible like when Abraham and Sarah take their reproduction into their own hands after deciding that God was not going to fulfill His promise to give them a son. It also makes me think of the Israelites saying, “Well, Moses has been up that stupid mountain all day. He’s probably a goner. Better make a golden calf so that we can have something to lead this sorry bunch.”
What is the deal with humans and our tendency to roll up our sleeves and try to do it ourselves? By doing so, we push God aside in favor of our own strength. This pattern of mistrust is something we all battle - we need to replace it with a pattern of patience and trust that God will not leave us in the lurch.
“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him. Thought he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” - Psalm 37:23-24