I don't think I quite understood all this (our desire to help God with His promises and putting our hands in the process) until I parented my youngest. She is impulsive, acts before she thinks; can be violent in action and is a non-stop worrier. In fact I am guessing she is worrying about at least three things at this present moment. This week she told me she was worried about marching band, which, if she is even in it, doesn't start for almost a year. Yesterday she was worried about what she will do when she has to do her senior project (meaning when she is a senior in high school -- she is presently in sixth grade). If she can think about something she will worry about it.
And if she thinks something she wants to happen isn't happening fast enough she very well will try and get it to happen -- usually with poor judgement and really bad results. Usually everything with her is now well-intentioned. But the results are still not good.
She is a perfect illustration of what we are like when we try to help God fulfil His promises in our lives. The endless agony my daughter puts herself through is needless. We often do the same thing with God.
I really like Sarah Young's entry in Jesus Calling today.
She writes, "Do not try to hurry this process. If you want to work with (God), you have to accept (His) time frame."
Getting ahead of God's timing is getting ahead of God. Getting ahead of God is not following God. It is following self. Don't follow self. Follow God. It is a much better road.
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1