God Is Not In A Hurry: The Way Healing Really Happens

We don't like to sit still with pain.

We like breakthroughs. We like testimonies tied in a bow. We want to be the person who says, “I used to struggle, but then God showed up and now I’m free.”

But what if His showing up doesn’t always look like solving? What if it looks like staying? Moses knew this tension.

Moses was exhausted by the wilderness and worn from leading hurting people. He was desperate for forward movement. And yet, when God offered him an angel to clear the way and speed up the process, Moses refused. “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.” Exodus 33:15 (ESV) In other words: I’d rather sit in the slow wilderness with You than run ahead without You.

But that’s not usually how we respond. We don’t just want God—we want Him to hurry. We want the answer, the fix, the relief from the ache. The wilderness undoes us. Sitting still with unhealed wounds feels unbearable. The silence tempts us to believe we’ve been abandoned.

God is not in a hurry. But He is not absent either. Yet Exodus 33:14 flips the script entirely: God didn’t promise Moses instant victory. God promised Himself. “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (ESV) Not resolution. Not instant relief. Rest — the kind that only comes when we loosen our grip on outcomes and receive the gift of simply being with Him, even in the ache.

We often equate healing with progress: If I feel better, I must be healing. If I’m still hurting, I must be failing. But healing isn’t always forward motion. Sometimes healing is simply sitting still in God's presence, even as the ache remains. God is not in a hurry to heal us the way we expect, but He is fiercely present as He forms something deeper.

The real miracle isn’t always deliverance. Sometimes it’s that we didn’t run. That we stayed in the room. Stayed when the tears wouldn’t stop. Stayed when the questions kept rising. Stayed when we didn’t know what to say. Stayed with Jesus.

God is not in a hurry because He’s forming more than just relief—He’s building a relationship. The ache is still there, but so is God. And over time, something shifts—not always the circumstance, but the soul. We learn to rest in Him, not because the pain is gone, but because He remains.

Try This: Set a timer for five minutes. No requests. No striving. No fixing. Just sit with God in the ache. Notice the discomfort. And invite Him to be there.

Reflection:

• Where in your life have you been bargaining with God for quick solutions?

• What would it look like to invite Him to be present today, even if nothing resolves?

Prayer: Jesus, I confess how badly I want You to hurry. I want You to fix it, solve it, end it. But You’re teaching me that Your Presence is not the consolation prize—it’s the treasure. Sit with me here. Quiet my racing need for resolution. Teach me to rest in You, even when nothing changes. Let me be the one who stays. Amen.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, share posts, and comment as you see fit. You can also sign up for my email list. I send out monthly newsletters, freebies, and behind-the-scenes information!