For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them … — Exodus 20:11
Six days … why did He take so long? God could have spoken the whole universe into existence with one word – one moment, one nanosecond. But He stretches it out over six days.
Why did God instruct Naaman to dip seven times in the Jordan River (2 Kings 5)? Why didn’t He just have Elisha wave his hand over the spot to instantaneously cure the leprosy?
Doesn’t God know that we’re busy, and we are in a hurry?
Why is His work in us so slow?
And why the six-to-one ratio between work and rest?
Time. Pain. Effort. Labor. Money. Sacrifice. These are measures of value that we understand.
God takes His time, not because He cannot work faster, but instead to send a message about value. I like what Rick Warren says: "When God wants to build a mushroom, He takes a day; when He wants to build an oak, He takes a hundred years."
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.