The Desperation Driver
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” - Ecclesiastes 3:1
When we get ahead of God, outside His will, or in His way, we will suffer the consequences. There will always be consequences for decisions we make that oppose God’s perfect plan and will for our lives. So how do we avoid making these decisions? First, we cannot let desperation be our driver.
When you read Genesis 16, you see a lesson in what happens when desperation drives decisions. The decision Abram made is informed in a large part by the frustration he felt in the previous chapter. God was not moving when Abram thought God was going to move, and God was not working things out how he thought God was going to work them out.
Abram and Sarai believed in God’s revelation upon their lives, but they were struggling with the manifestation of it. From their perspective, they and God were on the clock. Abram is now 85. Sarai is 75.
In their minds, the issue was not whether they heard God’s voice; they did. They thought that perhaps they misunderstood His method. And so, Sarai’s suggestion and Abraham’s willingness to go along with it were a result of a self-induced clock they placed upon God and His capabilities.
They acted as if there was not a lot of time left for God to do what He said He would do. If the promise is going to happen, it must happen now. And if it has not already happened, then God must have meant for it to happen another way. Be careful my friend, this way of thinking can really get you in trouble.
God cannot be boxed in. He does not operate on your clock. Time is of no issue to Him. But when we start to consider time, we can become desperate, and when desperation drives our decisions, bad things happen. Ecclesiastes says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” God has a time for everything, but it is all about His time, not yours. Do not let time and desperation be the driver of your decisions.
When we get ahead of God, outside His will, or in His way, we will suffer the consequences. There will always be consequences for decisions we make that oppose God’s perfect plan and will for our lives. So how do we avoid making these decisions? First, we cannot let desperation be our driver.
When you read Genesis 16, you see a lesson in what happens when desperation drives decisions. The decision Abram made is informed in a large part by the frustration he felt in the previous chapter. God was not moving when Abram thought God was going to move, and God was not working things out how he thought God was going to work them out.
Abram and Sarai believed in God’s revelation upon their lives, but they were struggling with the manifestation of it. From their perspective, they and God were on the clock. Abram is now 85. Sarai is 75.
In their minds, the issue was not whether they heard God’s voice; they did. They thought that perhaps they misunderstood His method. And so, Sarai’s suggestion and Abraham’s willingness to go along with it were a result of a self-induced clock they placed upon God and His capabilities.
They acted as if there was not a lot of time left for God to do what He said He would do. If the promise is going to happen, it must happen now. And if it has not already happened, then God must have meant for it to happen another way. Be careful my friend, this way of thinking can really get you in trouble.
God cannot be boxed in. He does not operate on your clock. Time is of no issue to Him. But when we start to consider time, we can become desperate, and when desperation drives our decisions, bad things happen. Ecclesiastes says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” God has a time for everything, but it is all about His time, not yours. Do not let time and desperation be the driver of your decisions.
Subscribe Now for Free Daily Devotions
Recent
Archive
2026
January
When God Feels Silent but is Still at WorkHow to Rebound After a Crushing LetdownWhen Your World Falls Apart After You Did Everything RightGod Is Still Building Roads in the DesertThe Chapter That Comes After TraumaWhen Hope Feels GoneWhen Your Words Start Working Against YouGod’s Resume Is Bigger Than Your SituationWaiting on God is Not Doing NothingBefore Circumstances ChangeGetting In Your Bag When Life Feels UnfairWinning With a Bad HandOverlooked, Insulted, and Still ChosenPrepared in the Field Before the Giant AppearsYou Were Trained for This MomentTaking Off Armor That Does Not FitFormed in the Field, Not on the StageWhen the Battle Is Not Actually YoursWhen You Feel the Urge to Go Through God’s PhoneFaith After Disappointment Still CountsKeep Showing Up Even When You Are ConfusedLocked Doors Do Not Stop JesusWhen You Need an Encounter for YourselfDoubt as a DoorwaySaying What Hurts When God Is in the RoomWhere Faith and Fear CollideShutdown Does Not Mean FinishedWhen Opposition Shows Up Mid-ProgressBuilding Without Responding to the MockeryA Mind to Work in the Middle of WearinessThe Wall Rose Because the People Did Not Quit
February
2025
January
Plenty of RoomThankful for Your SeatWho God Invites to the TableThat’s the PointWe Do Not Have a Monopoly on GodStop Talking So LoudLet God Handle the Guest ListA Long-Awaited ReunionSeeing Jesus for YourselfIn Possession of a Personal PromiseGet in the Right PositionReady to ReceiveAligning Your Life for God's PromiseWaiting with ExpectancyGrounded in PrayerStrength in PrayerPatience Through PrayerStay Focused Through PrayerGod's Conditional PromisesGod’s PriorityGrounded in FaithTrusting God's TimingThe Assurance of God's PromisesIs It Well With Your Soul?Health vs. HealingStewarding Your BodyA Holistic View of SpiritualityGod Cares About Your BodyWhat You Put in MattersNourishing Your SoulThe Power of Prevention
February
The Power of a ComebackHealing from the PastStop Blaming and Start TrustingBury the Past to Claim the FutureFacing Trauma with TruthCelebrate That You SurvivedRepair What is BrokenNothing God Can’t FixDon’t Swing at Bad PitchesStick to God’s PlanDon’t Let Desperation Drive YouShift Your WeightWho Knows Best?A Good Idea Isn’t Always a God IdeaPeace in God’s PlanFinding Purpose in God’s PlanProsperity in God’s PlanTrusting God’s Plan, Pace, and ProcessKnowing When to PivotGod Hasn’t Given Up on YouNext-Level Faith Requires PerseveranceA New Revelation of GodIt’s Not All About YouNext-Level ConnectionsNext-Level CommitmentA Prayer That Moves GodPrayers That Carry a BurdenPray With Boldness
No Comments