I often like things to get done smoothly and quickly. I don’t like trouble, interruptions and anything that slows me down. When this happens I see the goalpost fade in the mist of uncertainty and I stumble in fear. Panic paralyses me and inhibits my prayers. That’s when I have to remind myself that to look back. I think about goals already reached and remember how God brought me through.
In 1990 my husband and I made an application for immigration to Australia. Our goal was to get here before we had children. But God was more concerned about our spiritual growth than our short term goal. So He worked on us, growing and establishing us in the faith, teaching us the disciplines for Christian families, and showing us how to navigate the stormy seas of marriage through our Couples Bible Study Group. He took us through economic pressure and job loss. It was eight years later and with two kids that the goal was finally reached. No, it was not smooth and it was not quick! God doesn’t work like us. He has higher goals for us.
And so my prayer is that I would not desire the quick and the smooth more than I desire the Lord and His goals for me.