Delayed: Going Forward

To my readers:  Even though I have not posted much this year, I remain committed to sharing here about Jesus and helping you learn and grow in your faith.  I encourage you to check out (and like) Faith Journey with Kim: Growing in Christ Jesus on Facebook; join in the occasional discussion on the posts there.  I plan to post in the future on a topic that the Lord placed on my heart several weeks ago.

What does it mean to be delayed?  What is the role of delays in life?  How does God work in and through the times of what seems be quiet and absence of seeing God at work or hearing His voice?  These are good questions to ponder when we struggle to see and to understand God’s will and way for us.   The Scriptures are full of delays—delays that God uses to bring about glory to His name and to show His incredible power and authority.

Time is an interesting commodity—there are 24 hours in a day for each person—however, our view of time and God’s view of time are completely different.  When God is silent we wonder what is going on; we can rest assured that God is present during the silent times.  Delays in our minds are not delays to God—He is there and still at work in us and around us.

And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.  And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.  

(Genesis 11:31-32 KJV)

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Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.  

(Genesis 12:1-3 KJV)

In Genesis 11-12 we read about the beginning of Abram/Abraham’s journey with God.  God called Abram, an idol worshiper, to become the father of a great nation—Israel (and all who come to faith in Christ).  Abram listened to God, however, he did not leave all behind as he was commanded.  Abram’s father, Terah and his nephew Lot journeyed with him and his wife, Sarai/Sarah.  This was not a good idea.  Abram’s journey to Canaan (the Promised Land) was delayed in Haran until his father, Terah, died.  Interestingly, Terah’s name means “delayed”.

In the New Testament, delay is seen in Jesus’ ministry.  In John 11 we read about Jesus delaying a visit to His friends—Mary, Martha, and Lazarus—Lazarus was very ill and needed Jesus.  Yet Jesus chooses to delay His trip, so God would be glorified.  The delay allowed Lazarus to die.  While Mary, Martha, and their friends grieved this tragic loss, God was at work.  When Jesus and His disciples arrived Lazarus had been buried for four days; yet Jesus did not see this as a hindrance.  When Jesus called Lazarus back to life and out of the tomb, God got all the glory!

Likewise, after the Apostle Paul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus, he spent three years in Arabia before going to Jerusalem and meeting the Apostle Peter and James, the Lord’s brother.

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Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.  Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.  But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.  

(Galatians 1:17-19)

Similar to Abram’s journey to Canaan—the Promised Land, the story of Jesus and Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and the Apostle Paul’s time in Arabia, entries on this blog have seen many delays this year.  However, that does not mean a lack of God working in my life.  During this rather unplanned hiatus I have been learning, growing, developing in my faith and actively serving the Lord.  Moreover, I am sensing some gentle, easy to miss/ignore nudges to grow and expand in ministry.  This will take time—time in prayer to discern God’s desire, to vision, and to dream.  Please watch, wait, and pray with me during this season of discernment. 

In the meantime, take comfort in knowing that God is always in control and during those seemingly interminable times of delay, God is still there and still working for you!

Please stay tuned for posts that will come in God’s time—God is at work and has plans for this blog and more!

When have you experienced delays in your walk with the Lord?

Please join with me in prayer:

Lord of Time, Thank You for the story of Abraham and others clearly showing us how delays are not the end of the story, but are simply part of the greater story You are writing with our lives.  It is clear that You use delays to work in the lives of Your children.  Help us to not fear and to simply obey Your clear word to us and wait on You to provide direction at just the right time.  Thank You for using delays to grow us into the person You desire us to become.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

Believing God: Unbelief

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief. (Mark 9:24 KJV)

Last week we started considering what it means to believe God, not just believe in Him but believe Him. When we know the Word of God, we can see how He remains faithful and true to Himself and His Word—He cannot do differently. There are many examples throughout history—of those who believed God doing great and mighty things, simply because they believed God. To review the first post in this series, see here.

This week, we will be considering unbelief versus struggling to believe. Struggling is allowable and not necessarily a negative thing—struggles help us to build strength in our spiritual muscles. It is when struggles give way to unbelief that we stray into an area that is ultimately not good. Believing God gives us strength to do things that we normally could not do.

On the flip side, NOT believing God is who He says is and that He will do what He says He will do makes Him angry. (See Psalm 78:21-22) God will answer legitimate questions as He did with Abram in Genesis 15. We see that again in Jesus’ interaction with the father of the demon possessed boy in Mark 9:14-24. Therefore, we can know with confidence that He will be patient and understanding with our questions.

It is unbelief that gets us into a world of trouble. May we like the boy’s father cry out: “I believe, help my unbelief”! Unbelief limits our experience of God. Unbelief keeps God from working in the ways He would work otherwise. Recall how Jesus could do little in the way of miracles in His hometown due to unbelief. Unbelief stymies our spiritual growth and the whole of our lives. It impacts those around us too.

Think about the behavior of the Israelites after God brought them out of Egypt through many signs and wonders. They had truly experienced the might of God! Their disobedience towards God brought about His wrath. Many lost their lives. They also were kept wandering in the wilderness for forty years due to not believing God, and not believing those who did believe God. We can learn much from their stories.

How much metaphorical (or literal!) wandering have we done due to not believing God?

However, time and time again we see God do the “impossible”…at least it is impossible in our finite human minds. In Genesis 12 we read about God calling Abram, an idol worshipper, out of Ur of the Chaldees to a land that God would show him; additionally God told Abram that a great nation would come from him. Keep in mind that Abram was at that time 75 and childless. Despite that he obeyed and left the life he knew. Later he took a “detour” to Egypt due to a famine in the land God called him to.

Picking up the story again in Genesis 15 the LORD reconfirms the covenant He made with Abram. He answers Abram’s question about who will inherit his wealth with a promise that he’ll have a son from his own body. (By the way, this was not fulfilled for over ten years.) We also read that the people who will come from Abram will spend 400 years in a country that is not theirs and be oppressed. 

This covenant God made with Abram is all one sided—God is responsible for fulfilling it. God is the only one who walks between the divided animals. All Abram needed to do was believe God. 

Likewise, the covenant we have with God is solely based on Him and His work. All we have to do is believe. We are saved through the work of Jesus on the cross. It was on the cross that Jesus gained victory over sin, death, and the grave.

What do you believe about Jesus?

Where are you struggling to believe God?

How have you struggled with unbelief? How are you currently struggling with unbelief?

Please join with me in prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for your sure promises to us, particularly the promises we have in Jesus. Strengthen us as we struggle to believe You. We cry out, much like the boy’s father in Mark 9, “I believe, help my unbelief.” Thank You for not giving up on us when we struggle with unbelief, encourage us to move beyond that to believing You for Who You are and what You said You can and will do. It is only with Your help that we can move from unbelief to believe. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

To my readers: Be looking for additional posts in the future on the theme of believing God.

Believing God

And he [Abram] believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

(Genesis 15:6 KJV)

Charles Spurgeon stated: “I would recommend you either believe God up to the hilt, or else not to believe at all. Believe this book of God, every letter of it, or else reject it. There is no logical standing place between the two. Be satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the deeps of divine revelation; a faith that paddles about the edge of the water is poor faith at best. It is little better than a dry-land faith, and is not good for much.” Clearly, Charles Spurgeon believed God.

A few years ago, in preparing to preach, I pondered what it means to believe God. Notice I did not say believe in God, nor am I writing in past tense—believing God is active and living (present active participle)—something that continues and does not stop. To believe God, is to believe Him in an active and on going way—present and future.

God expects our belief in Him to be active, not passive!

There is a difference, a huge difference; between believing in God and believing God…lets explore that difference.

What does it mean to believe God—to truly and completely believe what He says? What would we be able to accomplish if we truly believe God? In what areas of your life are you believing God?

Believing God is not for the faint of heart. It requires boldness! As the story of Abram indicates; we do not have to be perfect. God still is true to His Word to us—knowing that we can trust Him. 

Believing is stepping out in faith without knowing the final destination. Abram renamed Abraham did—an idol worshipper who became the father of all who have Jesus as Savior and Lord (the account of Abram’s call can be read in Genesis 12). 

To clarify, I am NOT talking about believing in God. Many people believe in God, yet they are not going to heaven when they die. In James 2:19, we read: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Simply believing in God does not say much, does it? Believing God is a deeper, bolder, life changing concept. It moves us out of comfort zones and keeping God in box and takes us to new places. Places we have never dreamed of—doing things we did not think were possible. According to Beth Moore in her study Believing God, there are five things we need to believe about God. Believing God is:

1.       Believing God is He is who He says He is.
2.       He can do what He says He can do.
3.       I am who God says I am.
4.       I can do all things through Christ.
5.       God’s Word is alive and active in me.

Acting in faith is key. God will reward that, even if we get things wrong. All we need to do is look at the story of Abraham. He did not always get things right—such as leaving his family behind when God first called him. Due to that, he was delayed in Haran until his father Terah died. Later on he lied twice about his wife, Sarai, saying that she was his sister. He lied to protect his life—a moment of not trusting God to bring about the promise of becoming a great nation.  However, in Genesis 15:6 we read, “And he [Abram] believed the LORD and he counted it to him for righteousness.” We see this again in the New Testament (in multiple places) as a testimony to Abraham’s faith. 

Like Abraham, we may falter from time to time in believing God. However, to falter does not mean that God is done with us. Be assured that God is still at work in each of His children’s lives bringing His plan to fruition. However, God does not always protect us from the consequences of our faltering. In Abraham’s case, we are still experiencing the consequences of his decision to take matters into his own hands (the birth of Ishmael and the current conflict in the Middle East).

In closing, consider the following questions:

How is God asking me to believe Him this week?

In what ways can I take some steps of faith in getting to where God is calling me?

Please join with me in prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the many examples in Your Word of what it means to believe You—not just believe in You. Empower us through the Holy Spirit to believe that You are who You say You are and that You have a special plan for each of our lives. Thank You for creating each one of us on purpose and for the plan that You have for each one of us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

To my readers: Be looking for additional posts in the future on the theme of believing God.