Doug Creamer: Go slow

Published 12:00 am Saturday, November 16, 2024

By Doug Creamer

I woke up last weekend with nothing on my agenda. I had nowhere to go and nothing to do. There were things I could do, but nothing was pressing. It was a great feeling. I was enjoying some quiet time on the porch and considering my options. That’s when I heard His whisper, “Go slow.” What does that mean?

Slow down means you are going too fast, but slowing down means you will still be going fast. Go slow means something different. People drive slowly when they pass a wreck in the road. We are all rubber-necking. People go slow when they are looking at Christmas lights or the fall leaves in the mountains.

I was trying to understand what God was telling me. I walked around the outside of the house and saw lots of things that need attention. I decided I would do one of those things and that I wouldn’t work fast. I would take my time and enjoy the day. I went slow. It was nice. I noticed the blue skies and the birds singing. I made progress on my task, but it was slow progress.

I came in around dark and saw an email from my co-Sunday school teacher. We share the responsibility for our adult Sunday school class. She was feeling under the weather and wondered if I could teach the class on Sunday. There went that slow paced, peaceful feeling. What should I teach? The Lord was faithful as I sought His direction. He simply said, “You already know.”

Go slow. Have you ever felt like God was moving slowly answering your prayer requests? Me too! I believe God is in the testing business. He wants to see if we will trust Him. Do we have faith that He will come through for us? Are we struggling with doubt? Will we be obedient to what He tells us to do? I recently read the story of the Jericho walls coming down. I imagine it was difficult to believe that city walls would come down and to trust God. I think God was testing Israel’s obedience in that situation. Would they follow His instructions? Will we follow His instructions and live obediently?

Many times when we pray, we hope God will come through for us in a miraculous way and save us. Take medical issues. We pray and hope that God will deliver us from things, but sometimes God wants to walk with us through the tests and procedures. If we have a test done or endure a medical procedure and we experience God’s presence with us as we go through the situation, then we will have a testimony about His goodness. Our faith will grow stronger and we will develop a deeper trust in God.

We have to believe that God is at work, especially in those times when we can’t see Him working. Often God is working behind the scenes to bring about His will and blessing for our lives. It is hard to see when we are stuck in the waiting mode, but God is working things out. I can look back on my life and see times where God was opening doors for a better job for me. It felt like He wasn’t working or was moving slowly, but I had to learn to trust Him. At just the right moment the door of opportunity opened.

I think another reason God was whispering, “Go slow” to me was because my body needed me to slow down. Things have been very busy and I needed to go slow and rest. The fourth commandment is about keeping the Sabbath rest. God tells us that we are to work for six days but that we are to rest on the seventh. Many of us run at full throttle seven days a week and rarely allow ourselves some down time. We maintain the pace through our addiction to caffeine to fuel us. Our body needs us to “go slow” so we can recover. God tells us to slow down. Don’t miss the special moments. Don’t rush through family times. Don’t over commit. Don’t go so fast. Go slow!

We are on the threshold of the holiday season. I want to encourage you to go slow and enjoy the special moments. Go slow and enjoy the special people in your life. Go slow and reconnect with family and friends. Go slow and be intimate with God. He loves you and wants a deeper relationship with you. Go slow and be thankful. Go slow and welcome Him into your crazy life. Go slow…Breathe…Enjoy this special time of year.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com.