Slowly, but Surely

It was a Sunday evening at the end of a particularly long and seemingly fruitless week. And yet, as I thought back over the day, I was astonished at the work God had let me catch a glimpse of that day: a work He was doing slowly, but surely in the hearts of several people.

As a writer, I typically don’t get to see the fruit of what God does with my books and blog posts. But every once in a while He gives me a little peek into what He is using my writing to accomplish. This time, I was reminded  of Exodus 23, where God promises the Israelites that He will drive out the inhabitants of the promised land, but notice how He says He will do it:

“I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased and inherit the land.” (vv.29-30)

We tend to want everything to happen at once, with a minimum of effort, but God knows us. He knows that in many cases, victory can only be maintained when it is won gradually, “by little and little.”

If you are discouraged this week at the seeming slowness of God’s working in a particular area, remember that God is omniscient as well as omnipotent. He is not limited: we see only from our limited perspective, rooted in one spot in space and time. God, however, sees all at once. He knows exactly how best to work, and He works according to His perfect timing.

We usually do not see all of what God is doing. It is not for us to know it all, it is only for us to trust that God does, and rest in Him. We can rest in the knowledge that sometimes He does choose for our good and His glory to work slowly, but that His work will surely be accomplished!

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58