I can still hear Finnegan’s sweet, little voice when he was two.  Typical for his age, his speech was often grammatically incorrect and filled with mispronunciations.  Making it perfectly hilarious if you ask me. 

When he wanted to build with magnets, he would tell me, “I wanna play maggots.” 

When I kissed him on his cheek every night as I tucked him in, he would turn his head so I could kiss him more and say, “Udder side! Udder side!”

And whenever he finished eating and needed his hands and face wiped clean, he would always proclaim, “Me no messy!  Me no messy!” 

One day, it was time to put away a simple jigsaw puzzle he’d put together, but he was taking it apart piece-by-piece, his hands barely moving as he went.  This painfully slow pace was quite unusual for Finn, so being the super patient and self-controlled mom that I am, I kindly encouraged him, “Come on, slow poke!”

Without picking up the pace even the slightest degree, Finn adamantly, but politely replied, “Not me no slow poke!”

My laughter gave me something to do at least while I waited for him to finish cleaning up.

As I pray through this particular season of waiting (patiently, mind you, resisting every ounce of me that wants to bolt in the other direction), God keeps asking, “Why are you afraid, Sarah, and why is your heart troubled?  You know John 14:27.  You know I’m faithful – 2 Timothy 2:13.  You know I don’t rest from working for your good; I’ve got you – Psalm 121:3.  You trust in my sovereignty – Job 42:2.  Sarah, not me no slow poke.”

I hear Him.  I know the truth.  I believe His Word.  But sometimes our feelings are slow to fall in line, and we still feel anxious and doubtful and terrified.  The good news is God’s okay with our feelings; He understands our emotions.  The even better news, however, is that God hasn’t designed us to just sit and bear them.  Paul says in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The God of hope.  We – by the power of the Holy Spirit living in us – are meant to be filled with joy and peace, overflowing with hope, as we trust in Him.  As we wait.  He is not slow to answer prayer or fulfill His promises.  He is perfect in all He does.  God uses waiting for our good. By His design, its purpose is to bless, and therefore, He does not intend for us to live anxious, stressed out, and afraid. 

When we lean into worry and fear, the devil is there ready to feed us lies in our vulnerable state.  On the contrary, when we lean into Jesus, we cannot escape His joy, peace, and hope.  They’re ours in endless supply.  For when we pray Scripture over our lives and praise Him solely for who He is, He fills us with joy. When we keep our eyes on Him, He fills us with peace.  And when we hold fast to His promises, He fills us with hope.  God is faithful to meet us where we’re at, and there – in His presence – there’s no room for anything else.  Second guessing, what-ifs, and should-haves are all worthless in light of the One worthy of our trust.  He is not a slow poke.  He is the God of hope.