IN A LONG HURRY

When reading through the book of Luke a few months back, three words spoke to me: IN A HURRY.

Mary received some extraordinary news from God sent through the angel, Gabriel. God said that Mary was favored, the Lord was with her, she had found favor with God, and then, “behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.” (Luke 1:31) Even though perplexed by Gabriel’s word, she replied, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”

The Bible then tells us that “Mary arose and went IN A HURRY to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.” (Luke 1:39-40)

Mary moved with great haste; however, she didn’t immediately arrive at her destination. Her journey was about 50 to 70 miles and probably took from three to five days. She hurried to obey but her travel took some time.

Oh, don’t we want what we want when we want it which is right now?! God, I’m doing the things; where’s the blessing? When do I get to rest? When will life be easier?

When will I remember that my journey takes time? To wait on the Lord for the next thing?

Mary had quite the journey! Pregnant before the final marriage ceremony, giving birth away from her home and not in a home, raising the Son of God, then watching as He died on the cross as a common thief for all the sins of mankind.

Jesus had a period of 40 days in which He was quickly (in a hurry) taken by the Spirit to spend time in the wilderness battling the temptations of Satan. No food, no water. For 40 days. He obeyed in a hurry but this journey took some time.

Paul finally understood Who Jesus was, and finally accepted him on the road to Damascus within a few moments (in a hurry). But then he spent years learning more about his Lord and Savior before God allowed Paul to continue his multiple journeys as a missionary for Him.

“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” Hebrews 10:36

Endurance takes time. It doesn’t happen in a hurry. My trusty dictionary defines endurance as the “state or capability of lasting; an act of suffering, a continuing or the power of continuing under pain, hardship, or distress without being overcome.”

In a hurry of obedience means that I have committed to the Lord for the long haul, not the short sprint. Looking back over my journey here on earth, I see the days where I obeyed in a hurry and the Lord gave me His strength to endure, to be patient, to wait in trust, and to continue without being overcome. I also see the days when I disobeyed in a hurry and faltered. As I turned back to my Lord, I remembered His promise in Psalm 37:23-25: “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread.”

I am so thankful that God holds my hand. He walks right next to me and never lets me be hurled headlong to the ground. I may stumble over a crack in the sidewalk, but He will never let me face plant to the concrete. What a sweet promise!

My prayer is to always be IN A HURRY to obey and then endure with patience as God leads me in my journey.