Quicken Our Response – Thoughts on Being Ready from the Edges.

“Quicken Our Response”

From the heart of Pastor Calvin Cook

July 29, 2025

Psalm 119:60 (ESV) “I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.”

This past weekend as I was preaching – I kept hearing the words “Quicken our Response”. I was preaching on the historical response that people have had to God’s calling and direction. From the very beginning of time to present, we have continued to be a people who make excuses, follow our own ideas, think our own way is better when it comes to listening to God and following the call placed on our lives.

Have you ever expected God to answer your prayers immediately—to heal, to provide, to act—without hesitation? We often cry out, “Lord, do it now!” But the sobering question is: Do we respond to God with the same urgency we expect from Him?

In Psalm 119:60, the psalmist declares, “I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.” This shows a heart that’s eager to obey—a life trained to respond quickly when God speaks. It should not be a delayed response or altered devotion, but instead immediate surrender.

In our lives, and relationship with God, delays are common. We delay forgiveness. We delay generosity. We delay quiet time. We delay the steps of faith God is prompting us to take. We say, “Soon, Lord,” or “When I’m ready,” or “After I finish this.” But how would our lives be different if we hastened to obey like the psalmist?

How would it look if the holy moments God is calling us to were actually answered. Speaking to a stranger, sharing Jesus with the hurting, reading the Bible, being part of a small group, embracing a mission, praying, returning to church, tithing, and the other things we are putting off which causes distance in our relationship with God.

At the same time, we want God to be quick. Quick to comfort. Quick to provide. Quick to fix. This imbalance reveals our human tendency to seek blessing without the burden of full obedience. But God isn’t a vending machine. He’s a holy and loving Father who desires relationship, not just results.

I related these thoughts to renewal and revival that we pray for. Are we seeking to be part of the next Great Awakening that shaped the revivalist hearts of this nation, or have we become stuck in the way things are.

Friends, God is calling us as individuals, as families, as churches, as communities to so much more. God is continuing to give fresh vision, direction and guidance to be Kingdom builders, but are we listening, following and most importantly surrendering it all to be made complete.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for my delays. I want to respond to You with the same urgency I desire from You. Quicken my heart to obey Your voice, to seek You without hesitation, and to trust that Your timing—though different from mine—is always perfect. Amen.

Some further Reflection Questions:

• Am I delaying in obeying something God has already made clear?

• What would it look like to quicken my response to the Holy Spirit today?

• Do I expect God to respond faster than I’m willing to respond to Him?

Additional Scripture for Meditation:

• James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

• Isaiah 55:6 – “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.”

• Luke 12:35-36 – “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning…”