When God Sets the Pace: Following Without Rushing or Hesitating

Impatience comes naturally to us. In a world that is always rushing forward, waiting can feel like falling behind—and yet moving too slowly can feel just as risky, like we’ll miss our chance. But God doesn’t operate on the world’s timeline. He calls us to trust His pace, not our fear of missing out.

 We don’t want to lag behind and miss what God is doing, but we also don’t want to rush ahead and miss what God is preparing. Our goal is to keep in step with the Spirit.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.  Galatians 5:25

God’s timing is always perfect and purposeful because he makes no mistakes.  When we try to get ahead of God, we find ourselves in situations that can bring confusion, stress, burnout, and misalignment. Forcing our own agenda, allows us to fall victim to the schemes of the enemy, making us believe we know more than God. It highlights our doubt in God’s faithfulness.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

In the Bible, there are several examples of people moving ahead of God out of impatience. A very well known story is that of Abraham and Sarah. Sarai, at the time, believed that she was unable to bear children and insisted that Abram have a child with their servant Hagar. Together they had a son whom they named Ishmael. But God had already promised Abram a son whom he would make his covenant with his descendants. Sarai and Abraham doubted that it could be done because of their age. Yet God allowed them to conceive and they birthed a son named Isaac. (Gen 16)

Moving ahead of God created relational issues moving forward. Their impatience made them take matters into their own hands. Consequently, division was created within the generations that came from Isaac and Ishmael.  From Isaac’s line, God made his covenant, and Israel was born. Through Ishmael, there were other nations formed. Isaac can be thought of as God’s plan, while Ishmael is man’s plan. It’s a reminder that when we act outside of God’s timing, we may set things in motion that affect not only our lives, but the lives of those who come after us.

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14

Just as moving ahead of God is disobedience, staying still when God tells us to move is also a form of disobedience. When we rely on our own thoughts and feelings instead of God’s wisdom, we are stepping outside the covering of God. Sometimes God is calling us to move and step outside of our comfort zone for a season. Comfort is often the greatest obstacle to the growth God is calling us into. So many times, for myself, I let doubt and fear keep me from where God was calling me.

 Let us throw off everything that hinders... and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

An example of this in the Bible is when the spies went to scope out Canaan, the place God was giving them. The people went out to the land and were intimidated by what they saw. They came back with a report saying the people there were stronger and bigger.

Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” Numbers 13:31-33

The people continued to complain and give excuses. Caleb and Moses encouraged the people not to be afraid.

And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”  Numbers 14: 6-9

This made God furious. He had given the people of Israel plenty of reasons to trust him.

And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.” Numbers 14:11-12

When God leads us into something, he has a plan. Where God gives vision, he also gives provision. He never calls us to a path without equipping us to walk in it. We combat fear by remembering God’s unchanging character and recalling the testimonies we have accumulated on our walk with Christ.

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.  Romans 4:20-21

So let us not forget, God is not in a hurry, but he is never late! We can trust his pace in every season!