EquipHer Vol. 46: "No Rush!"Sample

Day 2 — God Orders Your Steps and Your Stops

Scripture shows us that God is not only concerned with where we are going, but also with how we get there. While the Bible speaks clearly about Him directing our steps (Proverbs 16:9), it also reveals seasons when the pace slows, or progress appears paused. These moments are not interruptions to His plan; they are often part of how He prepares us for what comes next.

This perspective can feel countercultural in a results-driven environment. In business, pauses are frequently interpreted as inefficiency or lost momentum. Yet not every stop is a setback. Some seasons marked by a slower rhythm are deeply strategic. They are not meant to punish, but to build a level of capacity that cannot be formed while everything is moving quickly.

Moses’ life illustrates this principle with remarkable clarity. Long before leading Israel through the wilderness toward the Promised Land, Moses spent decades in the desert of Midian. After leaving Egypt, he settled there and lived a quiet life as a shepherd for nearly forty years. Far from leadership, visibility, and influence, he learned to faithfully care for what was in front of him long before God called him to lead an entire nation (Exodus 2:15; 3:1; 7:7).

We see a similar pattern in Israel’s own journey. God did not rush them into the Promised Land. The wilderness became a place of formation, where their dependence on God’s presence, their discernment, and their identity were refined over time. What felt like delay was, in reality, preparation for a promise they would need the maturity to sustain.

This reframes how we view seasons of stop. A pause does not necessarily mean something has gone wrong; often, it means the foundations of what God has called you to build are being strengthened so that future progress can withstand pressure without collapsing.

For this reason, when the pace of progress slows, the most helpful question is not, “Why is this happening to me?” but rather, “What is God forming within me in this season?”; “What skills are being sharpened?”; “What kind of leader is taking shape beneath the surface?”

These questions shift the focus from what feels paused externally to what is being strengthened internally. And when formation is allowed to do its work, movement that follows is no longer fragile—it is grounded, clear, and able to endure over time.

Prayer: Lord, help me trust You in seasons that feel slower than expected. Guard my heart from interpreting pauses as failure. Teach me to recognize these moments as preparation, and give me wisdom to remain attentive to what You are forming within me, even when progress feels quiet. Amen.