The Apostle Paul often referred to life as a race. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7). Hebrews 12:1 speaks of a “great cloud of witnesses surrounding us”, in essence cheering us on that we might also “run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” Yet, each of us has his/her own race to run. Our race – similar to the game of golf – is not to run in competition against anyone else, but simply to follow our own individual path and to complete the race. That said, we are to “run” at the pace God sets for us. He leads. He guides.
A story is told of a young ensign who was eager to show what he had learned and how efficient he could be in preparing the decks and getting the ship on its way. He accomplished his task with perfection and soon received a radio communication from the captain, congratulating him for a job well done. There was only one problem. He had neglected to make sure the captain was onboard the ship before leaving.
Like the ensign, in our zeal to do things, we can easily run ahead of God. We forget to seek His guidance. What we do may even be right, but the timing may be all wrong. I once agreed to join a Bible Study group as part of their leadership team, thinking I could handle the commitment just fine, even though I had many other irons in the fire at the time. It wasn’t until my first meeting that I realized the level of commitment was beyond what I had time for, and I had to call the leader and apologize. She was very gracious and I will never forget her comment to me: “Oh, yes. I’ve run ahead of God before myself.”
We can be very impatient people. (My husband is laughing hysterically right now). It’s easy to figure out how we want things to be and then rush on ahead to force the issue. No doubt we all have stories of doing it both ways: running ahead or waiting for God’s timing and His leading. It’s not hard to figure out which worked best.
Let’s not leave the dock without the captain!
“As Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ‘Please inquire first for the word of the Lord.’ ” (1 Kings 22:5)
Yes. I can relate. Great word picture! Even now I feel I’m running ahead so Lord help me to slow down and let you lead today!
Relax and slow down because God’s got it all under control!
May we always seek God’s timing in everything.
Well said! I am in just such a dilemma today. We expected Aaron to arrive today, but alas another plan has been placed. His Dr has enlisted him into a “Day Care” counselling program – full days for a season. So, he won’t be to AZ this spring, i guess. Now I have to reset my heart!
Great post. Easy to put our own wants in front of what is best for us
Oh what a good reminder. How often I run ahead and you know what happens? It’s easy to slip.