Good Things Take Time

Love pursues intentionally, but wisdom refuses to rush what God is growing.

Song of Solomon 2:8–17 (KJV)

8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

9 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.

10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

13 The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

17 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

Sermon Introduction

Knock, knock. Who’s there. Impatient cow. Impatient cow who. Moooo.

That is a dad joke, and dads need more jokes.

I have been the impatient dad, husband, and pastor.

I recognize that instinct in myself.

I am impatient in life.

I am impatient in relationships.

I am impatient in spiritual growth.

I want progress without process.

I want fruit without formation.

I want outcomes without waiting.

Most of the regret I carry did not come from wanting bad things. It came from wanting good things too fast.

We all live in that tension.

We are trained to believe that if something matters, it should happen quickly.

Waiting feels inefficient.

Slowing down feels irresponsible.

Hurry feels productive.

From desire for an ottoman to having my feet on one in less than 20 minutes.

Scripture consistently tells a different story.

Last week we talked about desire. We said desire is not sinful by default.

Desire is powerful by design. Desire is what moves us toward what we love.

Desire is energy. Desire is momentum. Desire is what gets love started.

But desire cannot finish the work it begins.

Desire can awaken love, but it cannot shape love. Desire can move love forward, but it cannot mature love. If desire is left alone, it will rush what love needs time to grow.

That is why the Song slows down here.

Transition

Song of Solomon 2:8–17 shows us what love needs after desire has awakened it. The text does not shame desire. It educates it. It teaches us how love grows without breaking.

The lesson of the passage is simple, but deeply countercultural: Good things take time.

1. Love creates room for growth without being rushed.

(Song of Solomon 2:8–14)

Love doesn’t rush growth.

A. Love gives growth room by allowing understanding to form first.

Song of Solomon 2:8 “8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.”

The woman hears the voice of her beloved before she sees him, which shows that love makes itself known before it moves in close.

Hearing before seeing gives space to recognize what is happening before anything deepens.

Love that rushes experience without recognition often mistakes excitement for readiness.

Why this matters: clarity at the beginning protects us from confusion later.

B. Love is not slow because it is afraid. Love is slow because it is wise.

Song of Solomon 2:8 “8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.”

The beloved is described as leaping over mountains and hills, which communicates eagerness and intentional pursuit.

Scripture affirms desire as active rather than passive.

Love maintains space even while it moves forward with joy.

C. Love respects boundaries because boundaries preserve space.

Song of Solomon 2:9 “9 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.”

The beloved has the strength to advance, yet he chooses to stop behind the wall.

The wall represents protection rather than rejection.

Love honors boundaries because boundaries create room for trust to form.

Strength without restraint is not love. Restraint is how love protects growth.

D. Love recognizes that seasons determine pace.

Song of Solomon 2:10–14 “10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; 13 The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. 14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.”

Winter passing and spring arriving place love within God’s timing.

Flowers, birds, green figs, and tender grapes describe beginnings rather than completion.

What sound does the cow make, dog, the fox, and what about the turtle? It means turtle doves.

Love creates room by refusing to demand harvest during planting season.

Growth is real, but growth is not finished.

Application

We live in a world where closeness is instant. Technology removes distance, but it does not create wisdom.

Emotional closeness, vulnerability, and access can happen faster than trust.

Speed creates connection, but it does not create depth.

The Bible reminds us that love grows best when it is given room.

Transition: Creating room is only the beginning. Space without care still leads to loss.

2. Love protects the environment in which it grows.

(Song of Solomon 2:15–16)

Love protects what is growing.

A. Love pays attention to small threats that quietly damage growth. (v. 15)

Song of Solomon 2:15 “15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”

The little foxes represent dangers that appear minor but cause lasting harm.

Vineyards are spoiled slowly through root damage rather than sudden destruction.

Love watches carefully because it values what is growing.

Love rarely collapses suddenly. It erodes quietly.

B. Love adjusts care based on the stage of growth. (v. 15)

Song of Solomon 2:15 “15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”

Tender grapes indicate growth that has begun but is not yet strong.

Early growth cannot withstand the same pressure as mature fruit.

Love creates gentler conditions when something is still forming.

God does not call us to treat every season, every relationship, or every person the same; He calls us to love with understanding. 1 Peter 3:7 “7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

For those of you in the empty-nest season, you are often overlooked when we talk about parenting or marriage, and that is a shame. You are still very much married, and you are still very much parents. You are simply in a new season. This season carries real joy and real danger. There is freedom, but there can also be drift. There is quiet, but there can also be distance. Love in this season still needs room, care, and time. Growth did not stop when the house got quieter.

The empty-nest season is quieter, not easier, and love still needs to be tended carefully.

Love does not demand maturity from what is still developing.

C. Love strengthens its environment by establishing security and belonging.

Song of Solomon 2:16 “16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.”

“My beloved is mine, and I am his” establishes clarity before fulfillment.

Security removes fear and instability from the environment.

Love grows best where people are not wondering if they belong.

Clarity creates calm. Calm allows growth.

Application

Every vineyard grows in an environment.

Ours is loud, distracted, and exhausted. The foxes today often look like constant busyness, divided attention, and quiet neglect.

Love does not usually die from one bad decision. It withers from a thousand unattended moments.

Transition: Protecting the environment matters. Waiting honors God and allows love to grow as it should.

3. Love honors the process by waiting for the right time.

(Song of Solomon 2:17)

Waiting is not weakness. Waiting is formation.

A. Love treats waiting as a purposeful part of growth.

Song of Solomon 2:17 “17 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.”

The phrase “until the day break” shows that waiting has direction and an end in view.

Waiting is not indefinite delay but trust in a process still unfolding.

Love honors growth by refusing to rush what time must complete.

Waiting is not wasted time. It is formative time.

B. Love refuses to let strong feelings determine timing.

Song of Solomon 2:17 “17 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.”

Desire remains present and acknowledged, but it does not control the moment.

Strong feelings do not equal readiness.

Love submits emotion to wisdom so growth is not forced prematurely.

Love does not deny desire. It disciplines it.

C. Love trusts that growth completed in time will endure.

Song of Solomon 2:17 “17 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.”

The beloved is asked to turn away for now rather than forever, framing delay as protection rather than rejection.

What waits is not lost but preserved.

Love that honors time produces strength that lasts.

What grows slowly grows strong.

Application

Waiting often feels like nothing is happening, but God does His deepest work underground.

Life-Stage Application

Those starting out (singles, dating): Waiting is not wasted time. God is forming you to carry love well.

Those in the middle (married, parents): Love still needs room, care, and patience. Growth continues long after beginnings.

Those in transition (empty nesters): You are still married and still parents, just in a new season. This season has freedom and joy, but also the danger of drift. Love still needs attention here.

Conclusion

Giving One Another Permission to Slow Down

As a church family, we give one another permission to slow down.

We refuse to rush what God is still forming.

We refuse to shame patience.

We refuse to demand fruit before the season is right.

Review

Love creates room.

Love protects the environment.

Love honors the process.

And because of that, we believe this together:

Good things take time.