Trusting the Slow Work of God
The Here Below Podcast, a ministry of Christ the Redeemer Church, exists to help Christians reflect on everyday life in light of Scripture and the great tradition of the Church.
Inspired by the Great Doxology—“Praise God from whom all blessings flow… Praise Him all creatures here below”—this ministry explores what it means to live faithfully here below: in ordinary work, relationships, habits, and spiritual growth.
This reflection considers patience, spiritual formation, and what it means to trust God’s work in us over time, especially as we enter a new year.
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Why Spiritual Growth Is About Becoming, Not Just Doing
January often brings renewed focus on goals, habits, and self-improvement. While these practices can be helpful, they frequently overlook a deeper truth: the purpose of habits is not simply productivity, but formation.
Christian faith is not only about getting into heaven one day. Scripture teaches that God is forming His people for life with Him in a renewed creation. Until that final fulfillment, believers are called to live faithfully in the everyday and often mundane realities of life.
Spiritual growth is ultimately about becoming a different kind of person.
A Prayer for the Journey: “Patient Trust”
A prayer often titled Patient Trust, attributed to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, captures the heart of this journey. While sources should always be discerned carefully, the truth of this prayer can be evaluated in light of Scripture.
Patient Trust (Excerpt)
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through some stages of instability
and that it may take a very long time.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing that His hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.
Learning to Be Comfortable With Being Incomplete
This prayer resonates deeply with the Christian life. Scripture reminds us that we will always feel incomplete until the day we see Christ face to face. Growth happens gradually, not instantly.
Two lines stand out in particular:
“Trust in the slow work of God.”
“Accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.”
The Christian journey requires learning to live with tension—to trust that God is at work even when progress feels slow or unclear.
The Spiritual Discipline of Being Present
Transformation happens in the present moment. Jesus teaches His followers not to be consumed by tomorrow’s worries, and Scripture consistently emphasizes today as the place where faith is lived.
The past cannot be changed. The future has not yet arrived. The present is where obedience, trust, and communion with God take place.
Trying to force spiritual growth often leads to frustration. Trusting God’s timing, by contrast, brings freedom.
Why Worry Feels Productive But Isn’t
Worry often gives the illusion of control. It can feel like action, but it rarely produces growth. Jesus asks a searching question: can worry add anything to our lives?
Rather than helping believers mature, anxiety often prevents them from becoming the kind of people God is forming. Growth requires surrender, not constant striving.
Christian trust is not passive resignation. It is active dependence—showing up faithfully while resting in God’s providence.
Sanctification: How God Actually Changes Us
At the heart of the Christian life is sanctification—the slow shaping of the soul into the likeness of Christ.
God’s ultimate goal is not career success, productivity, or even moral improvement alone. His aim is deeper: Christ being formed within His people.
Every experience—work, parenting, conflict, success, disappointment—becomes a tool God uses to shape the soul. Circumstances may change, but the inward work remains the same.
All of life becomes God’s classroom for formation.
Practicing the Presence of God in Ordinary Life
One of the simplest insights of the Christian tradition is that God is already present. The task of spiritual growth is not to bring God into daily life, but to become aware of His nearness.
Everyday tasks—washing dishes, commuting, writing emails, or having difficult conversations—are not distractions from spiritual life. They are the setting in which spiritual life unfolds.
Attentiveness to God’s presence transforms routine moments into places of communion.
Gratitude as a Daily Spiritual Practice
Gratitude is one of the most practical ways to cultivate awareness of God’s presence. Thankfulness redirects attention away from what is lacking and toward what has been given.
Acknowledging small mercies—warmth, transportation, provision—reshapes the heart over time. Gratitude turns ordinary moments into prayer and transforms internal monologue into dialogue with God.
This is one way the biblical call to “pray without ceasing” becomes lived reality.
Growth Takes Time
No one expects a child to reason like an adult. Growth requires time, experience, correction, and patience. The same is true spiritually.
Expecting immediate maturity often leads to discouragement. God shapes His people slowly, faithfully, and purposefully.
The deeper question is not only what goals will be achieved, but who a person becomes through daily communion with God.
Trusting God With Who You Are Becoming
Spiritual growth is not manufactured. It is received.
God is forming His people into something beautiful, even when the process feels uncertain. There is freedom and joy in trusting His providence—without excusing sin or neglecting obedience.
Learning to trust the slow work of God allows believers to participate in that work with patience, presence, and peace.
Continue the Conversation
You can listen to more episodes of the Here Below Podcast and learn more about the church at redeemergreenville.com. Listeners are encouraged to submit questions or reflections that may be featured in future episodes.
As the Great Doxology reminds us, may our lives join the chorus of praise—offered faithfully, patiently, and joyfully—here below.
Transcribed by AI
