God Cares About the Pace You Set

Hey, my friend. One of the things I like about homeschooling my kids is that we get to set the pace—not just of their studies, but of our daily schedules. Some days are busy. Others aren’t. And that’s something we do very intentionally. I know we need breaks. I know some days need to be lighter than others. And I know there are other days when we need to focus and dive in.

But when it comes to everyday life, it can be hard not to compare my pace to that of other people. When you feel like you’re going slower than everyone else—or like you’re not keeping up—it can make you feel inferior somehow. Like you’re falling behind. Like you should be farther along by now.

And when it comes to healing, specifically, or growing in some way, this is something we really need to pay attention to.

God cares about the pace you set. He really does.

Yes, there are times when healing or growth comes quickly. But more often than not, I’ve found it’s slow. Gentle. At a pace that is actually good for us.

There are three passages in Scripture where I see this truth displayed so powerfully. And today, I want to share them with you.

Jacob’s Example

I’d say this first one is one of my favorite examples, but honestly, I think they’re all beautiful.

It comes from the story of Jacob returning home.

If you remember Jacob’s story, he had fled years earlier after stealing his twin brother Esau’s blessing. Now, after many years away—and after building a family of his own—he’s finally returning home.

After Jacob meets with Esau and realizes there isn’t going to be conflict between them, Esau invites Jacob to travel with him and offers to lead the way.

But listen to Jacob’s response: “You can see, my lord, that some of the children are very young, and the flocks and herds have their young, too. If they are driven too hard, even for one day, all the animals could die. Please, my lord, go ahead of your servant. We will follow slowly, at a pace that is comfortable for the livestock and the children” (Genesis 33:13–14, NLT).

Jacob is paying attention to the pace—not for his own sake, but for the sake of those in his care. The children. The animals. He knows what could happen if they’re pushed too hard. They could collapse. They could become exhausted. The journey itself could become harmful.

And in many ways, Jacob doesn’t always model healthy leadership or fatherhood throughout his story. But here, we see something tender. Thoughtful. Protective.

And I believe it reflects the Father’s heart toward us.

Elijah’s Example

How do I know? Because we see this same theme in other places too.

Take Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Elijah is fleeing from King Ahab and Jezebel. He’s exhausted, overwhelmed, and afraid. In fact, he gets to the point where he asks God to take his life.

He lays down and falls asleep under a tree. But then an angel wakes him up and tells him to eat.

Many of you know this story. But listen closely to the reason the angel gives him food and rest: “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

I love that line so much. God knows Elijah still has a journey ahead of him—a literal, physical journey. And so before God asks anything else of him, He strengthens him. The food and rest sustain Elijah for the forty-day journey to Mount Sinai.

And honestly, our healing journeys can take a lot of strength too. Even everyday life can take a lot out of us sometimes.

But God doesn’t shame Elijah for needing rest. He doesn’t rush him. He doesn’t demand that Elijah push through exhaustion.

Instead, God cares for him in a way that prepares him for the road ahead. Because He doesn’t want the journey to be too much for him.

The Israelites’ Example

Okay, so we have Jacob’s example and Elijah’s example. But there’s one more passage I want to show you.

And this one is tucked into a story you’ve probably heard many times before: the Israelites entering the Promised Land.

In Exodus 23, God tells the Israelites that He will go ahead of them and drive out the people living in the land they are about to enter.

But then He says something really interesting in verse 29: “But I will not drive them [the people] out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you.”

Isn’t that fascinating? Again, we see God caring about pace. God could have removed every obstacle immediately. He could have cleared the land all at once. But He knew that if everything changed too quickly, it would actually create new problems for the Israelites.

The land would become desolate. Wild animals would multiply. The people wouldn’t yet be ready to manage what they had been given.

So God chose gradual progress. Steady growth. A pace that was manageable for His people. And I think that matters for us too.

What Pace Are You Going?

God cares about the pace you set. Yes, some seasons are busier than others. Some seasons of healing move more quickly than others. That’s true.

But I think most of the time, we need to pursue healing, growth, and even everyday life in a sustainable way.

Otherwise, it becomes too much. We burn out. We become overrun by the “wild animals”—whatever that looks like in our own lives. Exhaustion. Anxiety. Resentment. Discouragement. Numbness.

Sometimes we think faster is automatically better. But Scripture paints a different picture. Again and again, we see a God who pays attention to human limits. A God who leads with care. A God who knows what pace is actually good for His people.

And maybe today, that’s something your soul needs permission to remember.

Journal Prompts

If this episode is hitting home with you, here are a few journal prompts you can take to God in prayer this week.

• Where in my life do I feel pressure to move faster than is healthy for me?
• What signs tell me I’m being pushed beyond my current capacity?
• Have I been measuring my pace against someone else’s journey?
• What might sustainable healing or growth look like in this season?
• Where might God be inviting me to slow down, rest, or move more gently?
• What “wild animals” tend to show up in my life when I move too fast?
• What would it look like to trust God with gradual progress instead of demanding immediate change?

Prayer

Jesus, thank You for being a God who is gentle with us. Thank You that You are not rushing us or measuring us against everyone else around us. You know our limits. You know what the journey requires. And You care deeply about the pace we are living at. Would You help us pay attention to our souls? Give us wisdom to recognize when something has become too much. Teach us how to walk at a sustainable pace—one marked by trust, peace, and dependence on You. And where we feel behind, discouraged, or frustrated by slow growth, remind us that You are still at work. Even in gradual progress. Even in small steps. Even here. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

RELATED EPISODES:

• Episode 189: When Healing Takes Longer Than You Hoped
• Episode 131: Healing in Layers: What Art Taught Me About Grief
• Episode 166: God in the Midst of the Storm: A Devotional Reading of Mark 6:45-52