When God Slows You Down

• By candidasullivan
• April 22, 2026
• No Comments

Do you try to control everything and worry about things beyond your control?

I never thought I’d be writing about snakes and what I learned from the black snake in my flower beds, but here we are. I’ve learned that if we open our minds to things, God can teach in the scariest, grossest ways. If you think a black snake is no big deal—trust me, in my story, it is.

My husband and I were sitting on the porch. I looked over and saw a huge weed in my flower bed. I thought I needed to weed my flower beds. But I decided to sit for a few more minutes before I started the task. The next moment, I saw a big black snake crawl from the place I would have been. 

Let’s just say I’m not a fan of snakes. When I was in the woods one day and saw one, I screamed, jumped up and down, and then ran with high knees, as if I was trying to avoid my feet from touching the ground. My son said I disturbed the whole woods. And this situation was no exception. I panicked. 

Later, once my heart rate returned to normal, I analyzed the situation. I didn’t know the critter was there, but God did. I would have stuck my hand right where it was. But God slowed me down to protect me. 

So often I worry about potential danger, when the truth is, I don’t even know where it is lurking. How many times had I walked right past it without even knowing? 

God is always there, guiding and protecting us. I could have dismissed my desire to sit for a few more minutes, only to cause myself even more stress. 

Sometimes, we think the little nudges don’t matter, but they come from a God who sees everything and knows the real danger and our perceived danger. When we listen to Him and for Him, He will protect us. But if we ignore the nudges and proceed anyway, we open the door for unnecessary trouble and hardships. 

When we rush from one moment to the next, we leave no space to hear His voice. I have been through times where I barely had time to eat, I was so busy. I worked myself into prolonged stress and health conditions, all because I wouldn’t schedule time to rest. 

I have worked for months on projects, only to discover later that it was the wrong thing. I have run ahead of God, ignored His warnings, and plunged ahead, all with an unsteadiness in my soul. When the warnings surfaced, I ignored them and reassured myself that I was going in the right direction, even as I traveled on the wrong path. 

But there is something so beautiful about pausing and listening. When I sit with the intention and desire to hear from the Lord, He shows up and talks with me. God knows my deepest heartaches and fears. He understands exactly where I am and where I desire to be. He sees the strongholds, untrue thoughts, and worries I carry every day. 

God knows the weapons the enemy has devised against us. So we need to take these verses to heart and allow them to encourage and guide us. 

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 KJV

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Sweet friend, God doesn’t expect us to know it all. He doesn’t want us to figure it out or go through life without Him leading and guiding our way. 

When we pause in the chaos, God calms us. 

When we pause in the stress and overwhelm, God instructs us. 

When we pause in the fear and spiritual attacks, God strengthens us and prepares us for battle. 

I like to look at it this way. We are on the battlefield, whether we like it or not. Do we want to fight unprepared or prepared?  So I like to start my day by asking God to give me my orders or instructions for the day. If I check in daily, then I will stay on the right path, following my Lord.