The Urgency Trap

Read The Daily:
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” – Psalm 27:14

Post by Eric Maloney

Lately, I’ve been facing some challenging health issues. At 40, the uncertainty was overwhelming—I wasn’t getting a quick fix, just weeks of sleepless nights, anxiety, and endless questions about what the future held. I found myself trapped in the urgency trap: demanding immediate answers, panicking over every sensation in my arm, shoulder, and chest. I even questioned if I was on the verge of something catastrophic, all while feeling that nothing could resolve it quickly. Have you ever felt desperate for quick answers when all you really needed was to wait and trust?

But then God gently redirected my focus. When I switched to a primary care provider who truly cared, within just 24 hours we had a working theory and a potential path to recovery. I learned that sometimes, waiting isn’t wasted time at all—it’s part of the healing process.

Waiting isn’t wasted time at all—it’s part of the healing process.

In the quiet moments of uncertainty, I discovered that true strength is in patience, and that every delay holds a purpose. Instead of forcing an immediate fix, I have to trust that God’s timing was perfect, and that this season of waiting is leading me to something greater.

In the midst of my struggles, community began to show up in beautiful ways. I received texts, kind words, and sincere check-ins by others at C3 that reminded me I wasn’t alone. My relationship with my wife deepened as we established new routines for self-care together, while my parents and siblings began communicate even better than we had in a while. These connections reminded me that in our most vulnerable moments, the support of others becomes a vital part of our healing. It made me wonder—could this season of suffering actually be God’s way of steering me toward deeper connections and a more meaningful life?

So, as I continue to wait on the Lord, I ask: How might trusting in God’s timing change the way you face your own urgent moments?

Prayer for the Day

God what are you  showing me?  What am I going to do about it?
God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?
Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.

Read The New Testament In A Year

4 x 6 Plan | Read: John 18:19-40 & 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. Jesus replied, “Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people gather. I have not spoken in secret. Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.” Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded. Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?” Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest. Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.” But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed. Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?” “We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted. “Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them. “Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied. (This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.) Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him. Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?” But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)   John 18:19-40

Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world? After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.  1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Read More – Bible Project Overviews: John, 1 Corinthians