The Ents Who Refused to Be Hasty

In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Two Towers, two young hobbits find themselves among the Ents — ancient, tree-like creatures who are the oldest living things in Middle-earth. Merry and Pippin beg the Ents to act against the evil wizard Saruman, whose armies are burning their forests. The need is urgent. The danger is real. And the Ents respond by calling a meeting.

The Entmoot lasts for days. Treebeard, the eldest among them, keeps repeating his signature phrase: "Don't be hasty." The hobbits are nearly mad with frustration. War is coming. Trees are falling. And these ancient beings are still deliberating.

But here is what Tolkien understood: when the Ents finally decide to move, nothing in Middle-earth can stop them. They march on Isengard and tear it apart with their bare hands. Their patience was never passivity — it was depth. They needed to be certain, because creatures who have watched the world for thousands of years do not act from panic. They act from conviction.

Scripture tells us to "be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). The Almighty is never in a hurry, yet He is never late. His patience is not indifference — it is the quiet gathering of a purpose so deep that when it moves, it reshapes everything.

When you feel the urgency to force an outcome, remember the Ents. The God who planted you is growing something in this season of waiting — roots strong enough to hold what is coming.