Never in a Hurry!

September 18th, 2024
by Kevin Darnell

There’s an old saying that goes, “even the snail reached the ark by persevering.” Sometimes we find ourselves in the middle of trials and we wonder where God is. Why hasn’t he answered my prayers? Doesn’t He know that I need His help? It is in those moments that you must remember that God is never in a hurry.

A great example of this is found in Joshua chapter 5 which begins with these words, “Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel.”

The nation of Israel had just crossed the Jordan River and her enemies were terrified. What a great time it would have been to strike against them! Joshua had led the army of Israel in battles against fierce armies who were not afraid of Israel so he must have been excited to go against an enemy that had no heart to fight! But God had other plans.

Instead of attacking the enemy right away, God told Joshua that none of the males who were born in the wilderness had been circumcised and that Joshua needed to circumcise them. If you go back and read Genesis 34, you will notice that circumcision would have incapacitated every male, especially the fighting men, for several days and would make them unable to fight or defend themselves.

One of the things that this shows us is that God is not in a hurry. Circumcision was a reminder to the Hebrew people that God had made a covenant with Abraham that all the people of the earth would be blessed through Abraham’s seed. That blessing was the coming of the Messiah and the continuation of circumcision was a reminder that the Messiah was coming.

God was not in a hurry to conquer the enemies of Israel because He had a bigger plan. There was more at stake than winning some battles. Of far more importance was the continuation of the reminder of the Abrahamic covenant. Because once the Messiah came, He would conquer the real enemy of all mankind which was sin and death.

God’s timetable is not ours and this can be frustrating. If a snail constantly focused on how far it was to his destination, he would never reach it. Even though you're not where you want to be, you're also not where you were a while ago. God is never in a hurry, but He always has a plan. Persevere and trust His plan for your life.

These are your Words for Wednesday.

Just a reminder that our church-wide picnic is Saturday, September 28 beginning at 10:00 am with lunch served at noon. This is a great opportunity to invite someone who doesn't go to church. So bring a side dish and a friend! Have a great rest of your week!

In Christ,
Kevin