The James Series | Episode 5: Low and Slow — Patience, Prayer, and Healing

Sometimes the hardest part of the process isn’t the pressure…

it’s the waiting.

In this episode, we talk about what it means to truly trust God in the “in-between” — when things aren’t moving the way you expected, and you’re learning how to be patient, prayerful, and healed at the same time.

We’re getting into:

• Why you cannot rush what God is developing

• The power of prayer in every season

• Releasing hurt instead of holding onto it

• What it looks like to rest instead of forcing outcomes

Because everything that God is preparing… takes time.

And when you allow the process to do what it needs to do,

you come out whole — not rushed.

So take a breath, lean in, and let God meet you right where you are.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Hey girlies, welcome back to Gospel Girlies, the Gospel Center podcast for me. I'm your host, Angel, and around here we're about honest faith, real life, and choosing obedience even when the road doesn't make sense. So get ready to have your hearts filled, your souls lifted, and your faith ignited. If you're new here, welcome home girly. If you've been here, you already know the vibes. Today we are continuing the James series from heat to harvest. A series about learning how to live what we say we both eat. Last week we talked about being under the heat, that slow cooking stage, where God is working on you, stretching you, and refining you. Not rushing the process, but allowing things to develop over time. Next stage is you guessed it, uncomfortable sometimes. Because you can feel the pressure, you can feel the process, you can feel that something is changing, but you don't always see the full results yet. And this week we're stepping into the next stage, the resting stage. Not because it's done, but because everything that was developed needs time to settle, needs time to redistribute, needs time to become what was actually prepared to be. Because this stage is where you're not forcing anything, you're not rushing anything, you're learning how to trust God fully. Because we live in a world where everything is fast, everything is instant, everything is on demand. So when it comes to our growth, our healing, and our prayers, we expect the same thing. We want it now. It's my prayer, and I want answers now. We don't want to wait. We don't want the process, we just want the results. But when you rush what was meant to develop slowly, you interrupt the process. Trying to microwave it, trying to air fry it, trying to rush the process altogether. You cannot microwave maturity, and that's exactly where James chapter five meets us. Not in the rush, but in the waiting. Scripture starts off talking to people who had a lot. I'm talking about wealth, resources, comfort. But instead of using what they had the right way, they misused it. They hoarded it. And they ignored people in need. And James is like, everything you built, everything you stored up, it's going to testify against you. And boy, is that heavy. Because that means it's not just about what you have. It's about what your heart did with it. Because y'all, this isn't really about money. It's about posture. It's about how you treat people, how you steward what you have, and what your heart looks like while you have it. And when I sat with this, it didn't hit me in a loud way, but it checked me quietly. Because it made me think about how I talk about people, how I show up for people, and how I give. Where I pause before I respond. And it's not because I don't care. It's because I've seen things that made me second guess. So, like, there was a moment where I saw people pretending to be in need. Well, honestly, I'm not even gonna like say it like that because that was just my perception of what I saw. So, y'all, one day after work, I stopped at the good old Circle K to pump a little gas. Um, and literally while I was pumping gas, I seen this gray, small little car pull up at the pump beside me, and you know, I'm facing that way because that's kind of you know how my car is set up, and not intentionally being in other people's business because I baby, I don't like being in nobody's business but my own, and sometimes I don't even like to be in my own business, but I just so happen to look over and I see it's like three or four people, male and females, in a car. They got cardboards, um, pieces, and they have sharpies, and or just one sharpie actually, and they are passing around this sharpie, and I didn't really, I think I caught a glimpse of one word and it said homeless. And I'm like, okay, and then after they got done, like after one or two people finished, the two people that finished their boards first, they got out of the car, and then they walked over to the intersection of where they would stand and hold up their signs and say whatever, you know, whatever their signs. I actually have that video on Snapchat, y'all. This is the craziest thing. Um, of them walking over, and then I got a video of after I left the gas station of seeing them on the side of the road, and I'm just like, this is wild to me. And in that moment, I judged them because they could have wholeheartedly been homeless. Um, but they had a vehicle because just because you have a vehicle does not mean that you have a home, and just because you have a home don't mean you got a vehicle. So in that moment, I judged them, and because of that, like it made me reconsider because I'm like my first mind, if I'm like honestly, I was like, they playing games, they not homeless for real, they just you know trying to do whatever to the system or whatever, but it's just like girl, how you know? You don't know, you don't know them people. So I really had to check myself in that moment as well because my responsibility is not to control what they do, my responsibility is to be obedient. I don't answer to what they do with it, I answer to how I respond. Because at the end of the day, I'm not responsible for their intentions, I'm not responsible for how they handle what I give. But I am responsible for my obedience, and sometimes we use other people's actions as an excuse to shrink back from what God told us to do. But obedience isn't conditional, it's not based on how people respond, it's based on what God said. Then James shifts us from how we live to how we wait. James says, be patient like a farmer. Now think about that. A farmer plants the seed and then waits. Like, let me go in here and see how this seed is doing that. I planted to make sure it's alright. They don't rush the process. Like, come on, little seed, let's go, let's go, let's go. You got it. No, they trust that something is happening even when they can't see it. It for sure hit me, man. Um it hit me, especially in because of the season um that I'm that I'm in in my life. Um I had a moment recently where I realized something. And it's it's not just about waiting on the outcome. It's about how I show up while I'm waiting. Because waiting will either grow you or frustrate you. Depending on how you handle it. Yep, you know what time it is. Get the notes, the stickies, the napkins, prepare your palms, your white T's, your mirrors, your envelopes, and one of those mini journals that's collecting dust, and write that down. And of course, I'll repeat it. So it's not just about waiting on the outcome, it's about how you show up while you're waiting. Because waiting will either grow you or frustrate you. Depending on how you handle it, but this reminded me, growth is still happening even when I can't see it. And y'all, waiting is not passive, it's act of trust. Because waiting doesn't mean you're doing nothing. Waiting looks like continuing to pray. God, thank you so much for this this opportunity. Thank you so much for the life that I have. Thank you so much for my family. Continuing to show up. Everything ain't alright right now, but I'm still, I'm still here, I'm still showing up, I'm still being me. Continuing to trust God even when nothing has changed yet. And y'all, this one right here, that's a big one for me. Cause it's just like you're thinking, how can I, how can I praise? How can I continue to pray when I don't see the change and what I need? And it's like choosing not to rush ahead, even when you could, you know, it's really saying, like, God, I trust what you're doing, even if I don't see it or feel it yet. And speaking for myself, like, that's hard. That is so hard. Especially when, you know, this thing that you're praying for, like, you you you praying because you really want it, or you feel like you really need it, and it's just like, all right, God. But like, I have been in a season where for the first time in my life, I have really let go and let God. Like I say all the time, like we say that all the time. God, I trust you. I'm letting go, I'm letting God, but we still got our little fingertips on it. Nah, baby. I wash my hands with some good soap and some good prayers and said, God, I am fully trusting you in this season. So whatever you see fit, your will, not mine, do your thing. And this next part, it's simple but deep. And we'll check your heart if you let it. Don't grudge one another. And at first I was like, okay, I don't hold grudges, but then I thought about it and sat with it. Because even if I don't hate someone, I can still hold on to her, and that's still a form of a grudge. Y'all, Blaze is in the room, he hears people outside, so he's being a little grumpy neighbor, and he's gruffing at them, so don't mind him. Um, because yeah, like I've experienced hurt from jobs, from friendships, from different situations. And while I may not be actively angry, I have had thoughts like, man, if I see them in public, I'm not speaking. And before I healed, I would also think if I saw them, I would fight them and get on the works like real bad. And it was because I wanted them to feel the same, feel hurt the same way I was hurting, um, and felt disrespected. You know, and that right there, that's what this is addressing. Letting go of the person, but holding on to the hurt still blocks healing, and this is where it deepens, because this isn't just about patience anymore, this is about healing. Because how you handle the waiting often reveals what still needs to be healed. That's good. Ooh, that's good. Oh, that's so good, y'all. Because, like, I'm just Thinking about certain things, like even what I just told y'all, I said, like when in the past someone is hurting me, and my thought process of seeing them in person of how I want to fight them or I walk past them like I don't know who they are. This is good. Because you can't heal still hanging on the hurt, baby. If you're struggling, pray. If you're doing well, praise. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Yes, Lord. If you're sick, seek prayer. This shows us something important. Every season has a response. This isn't just spiritual routine. This is relation, relationship. This is knowing how to respond to God no matter what season you're in. And when your relationship with God deepens like that, it starts to change how honest you're willing to be. You know, because you be real mad, but you don't really say it. But once your relationship with God deepens, you're like, all right, big dog, I'm real mad now. Um, I don't know what you got going on, but uh what's up, bro? Like, hello? Pick up the phone. Uh-huh. Hey, I'm here still. Know what I'm saying? But then it's also going in those moments and being like, hey God, like I'm struggling right now. I really need a little tap on the shoulder, a little hug. Let me know you're there. Because I don't feel it right now, and I'm trying to trust you, but uh it's a little hard, you know what I'm saying? Whew, okay. Let me come up out of that because maybe I was gonna go somewhere. All right, and this is where it gets even more real. Confess your faults to one another and pray for each other so you can be healed, and that part is powerful because healing isn't just between you and God, sometimes healing happens in community, honesty, and vulnerability. You don't just heal in isolation, angel. You heal in honesty because healing requires truth, vulnerability, and sometimes accountability. You heard me? Accountability, and I think a lot of us try to heal quietly. Who, baby? I know I do because when I'm going through, who angel will not be on the block, I'm be in my house, get my life together by myself, and I had to learn that, like, baby, you gotta open up because God designed community for a reason. There are things that break off of you when you open your mouth and stop pretending you're okay. Because healing doesn't just stop with you, it flows through you. And sometimes your obedience in one moment can change someone else's direction completely, and this is where it stretches you. This is where your life starts to matter in someone else's story, and I love this because it shows your life impacts other people. This isn't just about you growing, it's about how you show up, how you speak, how you guide. Because influence doesn't always look like a big moment. Sometimes it looks like how you respond in conversation. When something rubs you the wrong way and you don't like the way they said that, or how they said it, or what they're saying, instead of responding like, uh uh, you don't know what you're talking about. It's hey, I don't really feel, but let's come to common grounds. How you speak life instead of judgment, you know, that one friend coming to you, hey girl, like you know what I'm saying, like I like him, and but he just did this, and you looking at her like, girl, are you serious right now? Instead of being like, Hey, I know this is a lot for you, um, but I'm here with you throughout this whole process. So, however you see fit, we're gonna work through this together. And Blaze has decided that he wants to play with his toys. So if you hear a little squeaky squeak or two, say hey, Blaze. Um, there you go. How you choose grace over gossip? Ooh, baby, that's a big one. Cause Sharon over there, baby. Let me tell you what Sharon did. Uh-uh. Pray for Sharon. Just pray for Sharon. Don't talk about what Sharon did. Pray for. And sometimes guiding someone isn't correcting them loudly. Did you hear that? Sometimes guiding someone isn't correcting them loudly, it's living in a way that quietly points them back to God. Because y'all know how they say, like, the little ones, little baby babies, they watch you and they pick up on the what they see. That's the same for other people, especially for people that don't really know Christ like that. Like they're watching, and if you're presenting yourself as a Christian and you out here doing, yeah. People are gonna be like, Well, what's the point if I can live like this? But you baby, y'all can't do that. Y'all have to be the example. We are the light and the salt of the world, and we have to show up like that, okay. And this is where the cook metaphor really comes in. Because after something is cooked, it has to rest. When meat finishes cooking, you don't cut it right away, unless you're being greedy, but now you you you're doing too much. Because if you do, all the juices run out, all the flavor is lost, but when you let it rest, everything redistributes, everything settles, everything becomes what it's supposed to be when it's given the time it needs. But the problem is a lot of us don't wait for that part, and some of us are cutting too soon. So let me ask you, are you rushing something that God is still preparing? Are you cutting too soon? Are you trying to move ahead when God is telling you to rest? Or are you willing to sit in the process long enough for God to fully develop what's in you? Because not everything needs to be rushed, some things need to be processed, healed, and prepared. And maybe you don't have the answer right away, and that's okay. Maybe you're still trying to figure it out, but even in that, awareness is the first step. Because you can't surrender what you haven't acknowledged, and once you see it, you can't unsee it, and that's what I have to recognize for myself. This season I'm in, this waiting, this processing, this is not punishment. This is preparation. So here's your reflection for this week. Number one, where do you need patience right now? Two, and what would it look like to trust God's timing instead of rushing it? Take a moment and really think about that, y'all, because man oh man. Man oh man. Today we talked about patience, prayer, healing, and what it really looks like to trust God through every season. We talked about not rushing the process, not holding on to hurt, and learning how to respond to God no matter where we are. Because you cannot microwave maturity. Growth takes time, healing takes time, preparation takes time. James chapter five really teaches us the value of patience, prayer, and caring for others. It shows us what slow cooked faith looks like. One that's not rushed, one that's not forced, but one that's ready to nourish others. So apply these lessons this week and trust what God is doing, even when it feels slow. So don't rush, don't rush it. Let it rest, let it develop, let it become what God intended it to be. Because what God is doing in you right now is going to pour out of you later. And next time, we'll take a step back and look at the full recipe. How every stage of this process has come together. And so I just want to thank y'all so much for listening to today's episode and taking the time to listen to my words. So if this episode resonated with you, please leave a review and let me know how it connected with your real life. And don't forget to follow the podcast and follow us on Instagram at GospelGirlies for encouragement and updates and just come out to be off. As always, adventure and faith begin today. Remember to walk boldly, live faithfully, and step into God's plan for you. Because it is greater than anything you could ever imagine. I'll see you next time on Gospel Girls, Wednesday at eight P. M. Eastern Standard Time. Bye.