The Long Range View
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”
Genesis 15:13–16
We live in a society marked by impatience. We want what we want, and we want it right now. I read recently that several large companies are testing same day delivery options for their customers who are willing to pay for the privilege. It seems likely there will be a large market for this service because we have become accustomed to instant satisfaction. There are some who seem to regard thinking about next week as “long-term planning.”
God works on a very different schedule. He exists outside of time, and there is no hurry or haste in His program. Peter wrote, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). Because of that, God is not in a hurry. He is looking at the future in a different way than we do, and His plans encompass hundreds and even thousands of years.
What does that mean for us in a rushed and hurried world? It means that we can relax and trust God with the timing of His plans. We are not ready today for what He has for us to do tomorrow—otherwise He would give it to us today. Instead of worrying about the future, we should trust in His wisdom and care.
Genesis 15:13–16
We live in a society marked by impatience. We want what we want, and we want it right now. I read recently that several large companies are testing same day delivery options for their customers who are willing to pay for the privilege. It seems likely there will be a large market for this service because we have become accustomed to instant satisfaction. There are some who seem to regard thinking about next week as “long-term planning.”
God works on a very different schedule. He exists outside of time, and there is no hurry or haste in His program. Peter wrote, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). Because of that, God is not in a hurry. He is looking at the future in a different way than we do, and His plans encompass hundreds and even thousands of years.
What does that mean for us in a rushed and hurried world? It means that we can relax and trust God with the timing of His plans. We are not ready today for what He has for us to do tomorrow—otherwise He would give it to us today. Instead of worrying about the future, we should trust in His wisdom and care.
Today’s Growth Principle:
We must not fall into the trap of demanding God to work on our schedule, but instead trust His perfect timing.
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