Two Times When God Wants You To Move Slow

Today is the last day that we’re looking together at timing. We’ve looked at times God wants you to move quickly and times when you should take life slowly. Let’s think about two more times when God wants you to slow down.

First, move slowly when you’re making any major decision. The book of Proverbs says a lot about this. Proverbs 21:29 says, “Wicked people bluff their way, but God’s people think before they take a step” (CEV).

And Proverbs 4:26 says, “Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure” (ESV). What does ponder mean? It means to think about, meditate on, or carefully consider. You can’t ponder quickly.

When do you need to ponder your path? When you’re making big decisions—maybe about a career move, ministry change, marriage partner, or major purchase.

Proverbs 22:3, “Sensible people see trouble coming and avoid it but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later” (GNT). The number one place “unthinking” decisions happen is in your spending. That’s why so many people are in debt. 

The solution? “Plan carefully and you will have plenty; if you act too quickly, you will never have enough” (Proverbs 21:5 GNT).

The last time to move slowly is when you’re waiting for a seed you’ve planted to grow. 

The Bible talks a lot about sowing and reaping. When you plant a seed, you harvest a crop.

This happens in every area of your life. If you plant kindness, you reap kindness. If you plant gossip, you reap gossip. If you plant generosity, you reap generosity. Whatever you sow, you will reap.

But there is always a delay between planting and harvest. You don’t put a seed in the ground and next day have an apple tree.

And remember that in the laws of planting and harvesting, you get back more than you planted. When you plant one kernel of corn, you don’t reap just one kernel. You reap a corn stalk with several ears of corn, each covered in kernels. One seed multiplies, and you get back more than you planted.

Maybe you feel like you’ve spent a long time waiting for the harvest. Here’s a promise for you: “At the time I have decided, my words will come true. You can trust what I say about the future. It may take a long time, but keep on waiting—it will happen!” (Habakkuk 2:3 CEV).

Know that you can trust God’s timing. Sometimes God wants you to go fast and sometimes he says to go slow, but his speed is always just right.

Solomon was one of the great kings in the Bible. Commit to following God’s timing by praying the same prayer Solomon did: “May [God] keep us centered and devoted to him, following the life path he has cleared, watching the signposts, walking at the pace and rhythms he laid down for our ancestors” (1 Kings 8:58 The Message).

It Is Smart To Be Patient

Your life has an ebb and flow. Sometimes God wants you to move quickly, but sometimes he wants you to slow down. As Proverbs 14:29 says, “It’s smart to be patient” (CEV).

This week and next week we’re going to look together at times when God wants you to slow down.

First, you should always move slowly when you don’t have all the facts. Our culture worships impulsiveness and spontaneity. It tells you that spur-of-the-moment, “gut” decisions are the right ones.

You’ve probably heard repeatedly that you should “follow your heart.” But the Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV).

Feelings often lead you in the wrong direction. So you need to rely on truth outside of yourself.

The Bible is clear about that: “What a shame—yes, how stupid!—to decide before knowing the facts!” (Proverbs 18:13 TLB).

So when you don’t yet have all the facts, slow down. Don’t rely on your gut, your heart, or your feelings. Take the time to look for objective truth outside of yourself.

Second, move slowly when you’re hurt, angry, or depressed. When you’re upset, you tend to react and retaliate rather than acting wisely.

James 1:19 says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (NIV).

Do you see the rhythm in that verse? It says quick, slow, slow. If you’re quick to listen and slow to speak, you’ll automatically be slow to become angry. But if you’re slow to listen and quick to speak, you’ll be quick to become angry.

Proverbs 15:18 tells you what to do instead: “Losing your temper causes a lot of trouble, but staying calm settles arguments” (CEV).

Proverbs 15:28 says it this way: “The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking” (NLT). In other words, godly people put their minds in gear before their mouths.

Sometimes you’re going to feel angry, hurt, or depressed. That’s just part of life. But the next time that happens, slow down. Proverbs 14:29 says, “Patience leads to abundant understanding, but impatience leads to stupid mistakes” (CEB).

Don’t make quick decisions that you’re going to regret.

And the same is true when you don’t have all the facts. Instead of just “following your heart,” take the time to slow down and make a careful decision.

Remember: It’s smart to be patient.

Finding Courage to Connect

When you’re full of fear and anxiety, you don’t get close to other people. Instead, you back off. You fear being rejected, manipulated, vulnerable, hurt, or used, and these fears cause you to disconnect from the people around you.

This fear is as old as humanity. When Adam and Eve sinned, God came looking for them. Then Adam said, “I was afraid . . . and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 ESV). People have been hiding ever since.

You may not physically hide, but you hide your true self. You don’t let people know what you’re really like. You don’t let them see inside you. Why? Because you believe that if you show people your true self and they don’t like it, you’ll be up a creek without a paddle. Instead, you pretend to be someone you’re not.

This fear leads to three things that will damage your relationships:

1. Fear makes you defensive. You’re afraid to reveal yourself, but people inevitably spot some of your weaknesses. And when they point out those weaknesses, you defend yourself and retaliate.

2. Fear keeps you distant. You’re afraid to be open and honest—to let people get close to you. Instead, you withdraw and pull back so you can hide your emotions. You become defensive and distant.

3. Fear makes you demanding. The more insecure you are, the more you try to control and dominate. For you, it might look like always having to get in the last word in a conversation. Being demanding is always a symptom of fear and insecurity.

Clearly, fear only damages your relationships. But where do you get the courage to take the first step to connect with someone and move toward deeper intimacy? You get it from God’s Spirit in your life. Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For the Holy Spirit, God’s gift, does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them” (TLB). Rather than fearing people, through God’s Spirit, you’re free to love them and enjoy being with them.

The Bible says that “God is love” (1 John 4:8 TLB) and that “perfect love drives out all fear” (1 John 4:18 GNT). The more of God you have in your life, the less fear you’re going to have in your life.

The starting point in connecting with anyone is to pause, pray, and say, “God, give me the courage to take the first step.” Are you ready to pray that for one of your relationships today?