Have you ever asked God why he doesn’t do something immediately for you or all at once? Do you ever want God to do something today and not tomorrow? I think all of us have probably asked these questions or a variation of them.
There’s a story in the Old Testament of where God promised the Israelites that he would give them the Promised Land, but yet he seemed to drag his feet on the promise. Have you ever felt God make you a promise or give you a desire but wonder why it hasn’t happened yet? I think the answer to this question can be found in Exodus 23:29-30 where it says,
“But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.”
In this portion of Scripture God was speaking to Moses and telling him how the Israelites were to live in the land that had been promised to them by God. (Thus the name Promised Land!) God also spoke to Moses and reminded him what he was going to do for them.
I believe there are a few lessons that we can learn from these verses:
- God will only give us what we are prepared to handle, both good and bad.
- God will never bless us with more than we can handle.
- God’s blessings in our lives usually don’t come all at once.
- Most miracles in our lives are progressive in nature.
- God doesn’t give us everything at once because we are usually not ready to take possession of it.
- When we have to wait on God it forces us to depend upon him more.
- God is just as interested in the journey as he is the destination.
I wish God would move faster but if we are honest, he never seems to be in a hurry. I suspect this is because he doesn’t want us to miss anything along the way. Have you ever drove somewhere and been so focused on the destination that you missed everything along the way? I know I have on several occasions.
Instead of getting upset with God for dragging his feet maybe you should quit asking, “When” and start asking “What?” What might God want to teach you along the way to your Promised Land?








