Encouragement for Today

December 29, 2025 God Is Not in a Hurry With You RUTH SCHWENK Lee en español

“Love is patient, love is kind.” 1 Corinthians 13:4a (NIV)

Patience and everyday life can feel as mismatched as oil and water. Whether I’m waiting in a slow checkout line, stuck in traffic, or asking one of my children for the umpteenth time to do something they forgot, impatience seems to bubble up easily.

Impatience often reveals more about my heart than about my circumstances. When things don’t go my way, plans take longer than I’d hoped, or life interrupts my carefully laid schedule, frustration spills out. At its core, impatience is usually about me — my comfort, my timeline, my expectations.

But God calls me to something different. With God’s Spirit alive in me, He cultivates the fruit of patience (Galatians 5:22). He gives me the ability to slow down, wait, and trust His timing.

Why? Because that’s how God has always related to me.

The Bible describes Him as “patient with [people], not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9b, NIV). God was patient to lead me to come to Him, and He continues to be patient with me as I grow in Him.

That’s what true love looks like. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Love is patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4a). God’s love takes its time. It waits. It doesn’t rush the process. His love isn’t pushy; it’s patient and persistent.

If God is not in a hurry with me, then I don’t have to live in constant hurry either. I can rest in knowing He is at work, even when life feels slow or messy. His patience gives me space to grow and also gives me a model for how to extend patience to the people around me.

So today when impatience rises, I want to remember: God isn’t rushing me. He delights in me. And He promises that the work He began in me will be brought to completion (Philippians 1:6). That truth frees me to extend His love and patience to others — and even to myself.

Lord, thank You for being patient with me. Your love gives me room to grow without fear of failure. Help me reflect that same patience to those in my life today. Remind me that You are not in a hurry with me and that I can trust Your timing in all things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

Psalm 103:8, “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (NIV).

James 1:19, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry …” (NIV).

When impatience rises in your day, what does it usually reveal about what’s going on in your heart?

How might remembering God’s patience toward you change the way you respond to others today?

We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.

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