Have you ever heard of Jacob German? I first heard about him the other day. He was the first American who was arrested for speeding. When he was 26 years old, he was a taxi driver for the Electric Vehicle Company of New York City. On May 20, 1899, he was arrested for speeding down Lexington Avenue at the rate of 12 miles per hour in an 8 miles per hour speed zone. He was actually chased down for speeding by a policeman on a bicycle.
I read that and I couldn’t help but wonder what Jacob German would think about today. The pace of life is just a little bit faster today than it was in 1899, for sure. We find ourselves speeding, twisting and turning. And we often want God to also be in a hurry, just like we are.
But we need to remember that God’s timing is not our timing. God operates at God’s own speed. In fact Scripture says, “There is no difference in the Lord’s sight between one day and a thousand years; to him the two are the same.” (II Peter 3:8) God’s timing is different.
Back in the day, Simon and Garfunkel sang, “Slow down, you move too fast. You’ve got to make the morning last.” Good advice for us.
Something important that I really need to remember today is to slow down a little bit and learn to wait for God’s perfect timing. Maybe you need that reminder also.