Fresh Start After FailureSample

The Habit of Hurry

Waiting is not an area where most of us excel. As a matter of fact, we do everything we can to keep from waiting. We have express check out at the grocery store. We even have “fast” food so we don't have to wait to eat! We live at an increasingly hurried pace.

Hurry convinces us to rush through life and ignore most anything that takes an extended amount of time. Hurry can also cause us to miss out on a thriving relationship with God. We are often so busy trying to go to the next thing that we miss the moments God places right in front of us. Hurry can also ruin relationships by inhibiting us from growing close to others.

Ultimately, hurry causes us to live stressed, impatient, tired, worn out, and with little margin for a growing relationship with God and others. The antidote to hurry is waiting. The more we wait, the more we learn patience. This waiting allows us to take in everything God has for us. Waiting is a spiritual discipline God uses to help us grow stronger in our relationship with Him. Waiting on God gives us peace and strength, while hurry tries to steal these qualities from us. When we choose to wait on God and seek His wisdom, He gives us renewed strength to face the task at hand. God causes us to be lifted above our circumstances, (“...they shall mount up with wings like eagles…”). He gives us the energy to endure the race of life we all run (“...they shall run and not be weary…”). And, He gives us the endurance to finish all He has called us to do (“...they shall walk and not faint”).

Give waiting a chance this week, and see how it helps you face and overcome challenges.

As you engage with God’s Word:

● What is God saying to me?

● What does it mean to me?

● How can I apply what God is teaching me?

● How can I be specific in prayer today?

After you reflect on these questions, bring everything to God in prayer.