"Pace"

I’m always very thankful,

When at last I see,

Something that I prayed for,

Coming true to be.

And sometimes it takes longer,

Than I ever would expect,

But If I learn some patience,

God’s timing to respect.

I find He’s always faithful,

And He is never late,

Although sometimes to see it,

He asked me to wait.

And waiting isn’t easy,

For ready, shoot and aim,

I’m learning not to be that way,

But that’s sorta been my game.

Do it, just do something,

But sometimes that’s not good,

When God Himself restrains me,

To wait the way I should.

When I want a miracle,

I admit I want it now,

And sometimes the miracle,

Is for later on somehow.

And when God wants to change me,

It seems He’s in a rush,

When I’d sooner procrastinate,

Than let my ego crush.

So when the Good Book tells me,

To walk daily in the Spirit,

It means that I accept His pace,

And learn to better hear it.

Miracles change everything,

I love the kind that do,

But some do not change everything,

But only me and you.

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25, NIV)

Keeping in step with the Spirit not only means being led by Him as we die to our selfishness. It means accepting the Lord’s timing when we’re praying about something we want to happen. Maybe what we want is exactly what God wants when He wants it. We see an immediate answer. Maybe it’s what God wants but not when He wants it. That requires us to continue to pray and wait for His timing. Sometimes it’s what God wants but the change requires cooperation that hasn’t happened yet. There is some freedom in God’s universe for human choice, and God will not force people to obey Him. Finally, what we’re praying for might not be God’s will at all, which requires us to put the whole situation in God’s hands and trust Him to know and do what’s best. Keeping in step with the Spirit’s pace will require us to deal with all these scenarios at one time or another.

Lord, teach us to keep in step, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Robert “Shoofly Shufelt, used by permission. Thanks, Robert, and God bless you.