A Little at a Time

There's something about patience that I wish I could change. 
There's something about contentment that I wish I could change. 
There's something about trusting that I wish I could change. 

Straight up:  I wish they came easy.

God promised the Lord's presence to the Israelites in Exodus 23.  He promised that He would lead them to a land that He had prepared especially for them.  He promised to send an angel before them.   He promised His protection along the way. He promised to lead them safely.  He promised that He would destroy all the people who stood in their way.

And yet, in the midst of all those promises, He doesn't promise that it would happen quickly.  He actually flat out tells them that it's going to take a while.

But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you. I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land.

It was going to take a while.  It was going to take patience.  They were going to have to trust that God was going to follow through on the things that He promised them, and also trust that His plan was for their ultimate good.  Sure, God could have stepped in and wiped out all of the people who inhabited the promised land, but they would have ended up being in danger.  God could have taken them there right away, but the Israelites wouldn't have been able to handle it at that point.

God made some incredible promises, but His plan would be carried out a little at a time for the good of His people.

There are things in life that I just don't understand.  I don't know why things are playing out the way they are.  There are things that I'm trying to trust God with.  There are things that I feel like I have to daily surrender to Him.  There are days when I'm feeling completely at peace and totally content one minute, and the next minute I'm reeling in confusion and feeling defeated.  And it's in those moments when I need to be reminded of God's promises.  I need to be reminded that His plan is so much better than my own, and that He works all things together for my good.

I know that God could step in and hurry up the process, but I'm pretty sure there's a very good reason He doesn't.  Maybe He's protecting me from danger...from more hurt.  Maybe there are more things that He wants me to do that I wouldn't have time for in other circumstances.  Maybe He has more to teach me.  Maybe I'm just not ready yet.  Maybe I just need to be patient and content right where He has me.  Maybe I need to stop fighting Him and just trust Him.  And maybe, like the Israelites, I need to just let Him carry out His plan a little at at a time.