Session 31

Is impatience getting the better of you?

From Exodus: A 34-Day Devotional

Have you ever grown tired of waiting for someone to respond? You tried being patient, but after enough time passed, you went ahead without that person.

In Exodus 32, the Israelites allowed their impatience to get the better of them. When Moses took too long returning from Mount Sinai, the Israelites went to Moses' right-hand man and demanded a new god.

The people brought their gold to Aaron, who melted it and made an icon of a golden calf. Everyone worshipped the statue. Exodus 32:6 says, "The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and indulged themselves in pagan revelry."

God saw what Israel did and threatened to destroy the nation. But Moses interceded on their behalf, and God spared them.

When circumstances test our faith, we can create our own golden calf or we can wait on the Lord to provide. Like Israel, we often let impatience get the better of us. We do this when we date the wrong person because we’re tired of waiting for the right one, or when we take on debt because we’re tired of waiting for our income to catch up with our taste.

Giving into impatience often leads to sin, and sin always has consequences. Thankfully, Jesus intercedes for us the same way Moses interceded for Israel. Jesus alone has the power to pardon all our sin.

We restore our relationship with God by confessing how we’ve sinned and doing whatever it takes to make things right. The Bible calls this process of turning away from sin “repentance.” Repentance isn’t an excuse to give into temptation. Instead, it’s a chance to start fresh listening to God and doing what He says.

Reflect:

• What’s one possible golden calf in your life? One way you’ve allowed fear or impatience to cause you to settle for less than God’s best?
• What step can you take this week to repent and remove this idol from your life?
• Is there a particular sin in your life that you cannot let go of? Until you confess and repent, this sin will remain a barrier in your relationship with Jesus.