Slow and Steady.

“No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the LORD your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God. The LORD your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, for if you did, the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you.” – Deuteronomy 7:21-22 NLT

Transformation takes time. But we live in a quick-fix society that wants everything to happen instantaneously. Whether it’s losing weight or gaining wealth, we don’t want to wait. TV shows like The Biggest Loser give us glimpses into the lives of individuals attempting to lose significant amounts of weight, but collapse the entire process into a single season of 30-minute shows. We love before-and-after images of people who have been transformed. We like stories about people who have gone from rags to riches, obscurity to fame – seemingly overnight. Every day millions of people waste their hard-earned money playing the  lottery in the hopes of winning big and getting rich quick. And if we’re honest, many of us as Christians approach our spiritual transformation with the same results-while-you-wait mentality. We are in a hurry to get where we think we need to be. But God doesn’t seem to be in a rush. He is in no hurry. Instead He seems willing to slowly and methodically work out His plan of spiritual transformation in our lives.

We see the same no-hurry mentality when it comes to God’s plan for the people of Israel possessing the land of Canaan. Moses reminds the people that their God is great and awesome. He is powerful and fully capable of doing whatever He sets His mind to do. But that same powerful God was NOT going to give the instant access to the land and immediate victory over all their enemies. No, this was going to be a slow and steady process. God was going to clear away the nations little by little – one step at a time. When it comes to the renovation of our lives, we can sometimes get intimidated by the sheet size of the task ahead of us. There seems to be so many things we need to work on. We have so many flaws and faults that stand in the way of our transformation. It can be easy to get overwhelmed and lose heart. God knows this about us. He knew it about the people of Israel. He also knew that giving them instantaneous victory would have been disastrous. They wouldn’t have been able to handle the success. And neither can we. So God works slowly and methodically. He gives us small victories and steady glimpses of growth taking place. He wants us to move forward one step at a time. He wants us to be faithful and to face our fears knowing that He is with us. He chose us. He loves us. And He is going to change us. On His time frame and in His own unique way. We can count on it.

Father, You are transforming me daily. Forgive me for the many times I get impatient or even upset that You are not working fast enough. Your plan is perfect and Your timing is impeccable. Help me to rest in You and wait on You. Help me to recognize the change that is taking place each and every day. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org