July 19, 2025
One day, a parishioner went into the office of renowned 19th-century English preacher Joseph Parker and found him pacing back and forth, with hands clasped tightly behind his back. “Dr. Parker,” asked the man, “what’s the problem?” “To which he replied, “The problem is, I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t.”
It’s not unusual to find people in a hurry in our fast-paced society. Yet, you know what happens when things don’t happen as fast as we’d like - we wait. Whether it’s something as simple as being held up at a red light or as serious as a cancer patient waiting for lab results, the delay can be excruciating.
The Bible gives numerous accounts of those who had to wait. Twenty-five years passed between the time Abraham received God’s promise of a child and Isaac’s arrival. Jacob waited seven years to marry the woman he loved. Joseph lingered two additional years in prison when the cupbearer forgot to tell about his dream being interpreted. And that’s just in Genesis alone.
Despite their faithfulness, Joshua and Caleb waited 40 years before entering the Promised Land. A barren Hannah yearned “year after year” for a child, all the while being taunted by her rival. Three years passed between the time Paul was called and began to preach.
Sometimes God says go, and on other occasions no. Oftentimes, however, the answer is slow. Yet, understand, His delays are not necessarily His denials. Faith is a spiritual muscle. And like our physical muscles, it needs to be stretched in order to function at a high level.
Perhaps you’ve heard the story about the little boy who found a caterpillar in the woods. He took it home and put it in a jar. It wasn’t long before the caterpillar climbed a small branch the boy had provided and then formed a cocoon around itself.
Days later, something strange began to emerge. In an effort to speed up the process, the lad snipped the cocoon with a pair of scissors. A creature with a swollen body and shriveled wings came out, but quickly died.
The boy learned the hard way that this unusual insect was on its way to becoming a butterfly. It needed that extended time of struggle in order to transform into what it was meant to be. And so it is with the waiting God brings us through. He is in the process of forming us into the people he wants us to be.
How often do we miss out on blessings by getting ahead of God and short-circuiting the process? We’re “chomping at the bit” to see something happen. Yet, this may be a time He has set aside for being, as opposed to doing. Like these anonymous quotes say, “patient waiting is often the highest way of doing God’s will…waiting on God often brings us to our journey’s end quicker than our feet.”
If you find yourself in a state of waiting, perhaps these Scriptures will help. “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take courage; yes wait for the Lord. Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength…(Psalm 27:14, Isaiah 40:31). Cliche though the phrase sounds, it’s so true, “Good things come to those who wait.”
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Todd Gaddis is a semi-retired minister living in Athens. He continues to serve as an interim pastor and can be reached at jtoddgaddis@gmail.com.
