Impatience by Dr. Paul Chappell

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The Snare of Impatience
Monday, November 16, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell

"And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me."

Exodus 32:1–2

When we take matters into our own hands rather than waiting for God to work in His time, disaster follows. The children of Israel worshipped the golden calf that Aaron made because they were not willing to wait for Moses to return from Mt. Sinai where he was receiving the Law from God. Their impatience led to idolatry and immorality.

G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.”

We live in an impatient culture that prizes haste and busyness. Certainly we should not use the excuse of waiting on God to avoid doing what we already know He wants us to do. But we must also be careful not to try to provide solutions and choose directions apart from His plan. Think of the tension that still exists in the world today four thousand years after Abraham and Sarah decided to involve Hagar in producing the son God had promised to them. The enmity between the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac would not exist had they been willing to wait for God to do what He said He would do.

Today's Growth Principle:
Do not run ahead of God today—though He is not early, He is never late.