Running Hard to Keep Up

There are times when God doesn't seem to be moving very quickly. There are other times when it seems we have to run very fast to keep up with Him.

I have my "hurry up, please" list and my "slow down, please" list. Some day soon I'll give you all the details of the items that are currently on both of those lists. Right now, this "work in progress" is not quite ready to be revealed.

Is there a verse of Scripture that covers both of these variables?

Hang on, I'm looking!

Aha, here there are in Psalm 37.

The key word in verse 3 is "trust" followed by "delight" in verse 4 and "commit" in verse 5. All these actions are directed to God. Any success we anticipate in the business of crawling or running with God is found in our attitude toward Him. Trusting Him, delighting in Him and committing ourselves to Him daily, are essential to that process.

Then comes what is specific to crawling with God. "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…" (Psalm 37:7). The reference is to the success of the wicked as they hatch their schemes. God seems to take His time dealing with evil, just as He sometimes seems to take His time responding to some of our needs. Being "still" and waiting "patiently" are hard for most of us. But God promises to respond. Verses 18, 19 say: "The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, (I'm so glad he understands my time frame better than I do!)and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty" (part of my "hurry up, please" list has to do with this.)

God never comes late. Even though I want the answers now and feel the need to see all those "ducks lined up" today, He knows when the right time is, and He won't fail me.

Keep going through Psalm 37 because there are a couple of verses that strike me as applicable to the "slow down, please" part of my problem. It's wonderful when God moves, but when He does, the speed at which things happen sometimes makes me fearful that my control of the situation has slipped from my grasp and I might make some huge mistake just because things are happening with so much speed.

Then God says: "If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand" (Psalm 37:23, 24).

Isn't it just like God to have all the bases covered? Cover me again, Lord, cover me again.

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