So God wanted faith from Abraham. Did Richards change of heart and Philip's three questions come from a lack of faith? Have my own questions come in light of not enough faith?
The Bible uses "by faith" to describe what Abraham, Issac and Jacob went through. Faith is what God valued and it seems clear and I say seems clear that God recognizes faith as a sign of Love for Him.
Philip recommends reading Genesis all the way through in one sitting. He says that you cannot help noticing the change in how God related to His people. At first He stayed close by, walking in the garden with them and punishing their individual sins, speaking to them directly, intervening constantly. In Abraham's day He sent angels or messengers on house calls. And by Jacob's time... the messages were far more general or ambiguous. A mysterious dream about a ladder, a late-night wrestling match. By the end of Genesis you have Joseph and God slows down and appears to be working behind the scenes. God spoke to Joseph through dreams. Joseph, a man who made valiant attempts at goodness was rewarded with trouble. His brothers throw him in a cistern. He resisted sexual advance and landed in prison. He interpreted a dream to save a cell mate , and the cell mate forgets about him. Did Joseph ask questions like Richard? Did Joseph wonder if God was unfair, silent and hidden?
Now the flip side of Joseph is this. Did God "pull back" intentionally to allow Joseph's faith to reach a new level of maturity? More time is spent in Genesis on Joseph than any other person. There must be lessons for me in that. Joseph learned that through all the trials he would trust in God. Not that God would prevent the trials but that He would redeem the very trials. A teary eyed Joseph tries to explain his faith to his brothers: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good..." INTENDED - purposed; designed; intentional. Joseph's brothers purposed, designed, and intentionally wanted to harm him. God on the other hand purposed, designed and intentionally wanted to us IT for good. Hear the little two letter word there in the second part of the sentence. IT...... It was the trip down into a cistern. Brothers, blood relatives that Joseph could see and hear every day intended it to harm him. God, who Joseph did not see or hear every day intended it for good. How did he know that? Joseph could have perceived God as unfair, silent and hidden. Instead he was somehow able to recognize it as God's intention for it to be good. I want to know what, the "WHAT" was. Maybe I'm just not getting it?
After all it is only chapter 7.
Two years ago Ann Marie and I studied Joseph and came away with some great revelations. When all was said and done it came down to this title. "There is power in the process to the promise." I suppose there could be a hundred variations of that. Maturity comes in the process to the promise? But who goes around looking for, asking for or praying for the "process" to to come into our lives? I can't say that I have ever danced for joy when the process gets in my face and demands attention unceasingly. When it interrupts my sleep night after night and overwhelms my thoughts day after day it bring frustration and always questions. GOD WHAT ARE YOU DOING or GOD DON"T YOU CARE? GOD WHERE ARE YOU? And ultimately, where did I go wrong? Did I miss God?
As I was talking with someone this week about this the thought came, "I don't wake up every morning and ask Ann Marie if we're married?" I don't ask, "are you still my wife and the mother of our children?" Why not! There are challenges in our relationship that make marriage less than what I expected at times. So why no questions? Because I have a confidence in her and our relationship. We may not talk for an hour but I don't immediately begin questioning whether I'm married or not. But... when it comes to God.... When life is less than what I expected it to be, the questions about my relationship with God take on a life of their own. I'm not sure which side of the case I'm making the point for? I may have just dug myself into a hole?
Does it really boil down to a single word? FAITH? I have resisted telling people that they just needed more faith. I can't even force myself to say that someone wasn't healed because they didn't have enough faith. Who am I to say that someones faith was weak? Even if I don't speak the words out loud I struggle with the thought that... that's what it comes down to. Lack of faith. Weak faith. No faith. Struggling faith. So I guess I should get back to the book and see if Philip can help me understand.
1 comment:
I can't beleive that marriage at any time with Ann Marie could be less than expected. As well I can't beleive relationship with God could be less than expected as long as what you're expecting lines up with what He says we can expect in the Word. Do we put unrealistic expectations on God like we do on one another. Are our expectations often built around what we think we need when we think we need it? God's timing another question that we could debate the rest of our lives. One verse about God's promises says you will get a return in this lifetime. I guess unless your life is over you still have time to receive the promise. It's not over till it's over and it's not over yet. If you could see the promises than you wouldn't need faith because the definition itself says faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things "NOT SEEN". So if we can see it then we don't need faith and the Word also says that it is "IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD WITHOUT FAITH". It's not easy.. but then if it was everyone would be doing it. That's why the Word also says to fight the GOOD FIGHT of faith. Work, fighting, standing, all action words that require effort on our part. I don't think you'll find your answers from Phillip or Richard in a book you will just find "ANOTHER" mans opinion of how he thinks God works. A man I respect for his wisdom about spirtual things and who I see pursue God more than any man I know and I think is a man after God's own heart has been mentoring me for some years now told me that everything I needed is within me. That God gave me every key that I would ever need to unlock every question or problem I have before the foundation of time when He created me and knew what I would need in life. My lifetime job is to pursue Him, my Father to unlock and release every thing in my spirit that was meant to be my destiny. Is it easy NO not one bit as I said earlier if it was EVERYONE would be doing it. The truth is sometimes I just get lazy and don't pursue as hard as I do at other times. The Word also says Hope deferred makes the heart sick but why is my hope defered??? Because I don't see what I pray happen fast enough? Because I'm trying to beleive for the promise in my own might? Have I truly left my request with the Father if I keep taking back the worry and care of it??? My mentor also taught me that if I ask the wrong question I would get the wrong answer. What and Why are we still asking? I would guess because we are still humans that are not perfect yet. We are still growing and getting progressive revelation as to who God is to us and what He does for and through us. Maybe a better question would be not do we have enough faith but do we have enough trust to ask and leave it there. How many times just in life do we ask people to do something and then keep following up to make sure it's done? I think we do that because we don't TRUST that is will get done and in some cases that is wisdom because our past experience has told us that they don't do what they are asked. Is that how we also preceive God? Sometimes He does and sometimes He doesn't so we need to keep asking and checking. Peter started trusting God as he got out of the boat to walk on the water to Jesus but somewhere along the way he took his eyes off Jesus and started looking at his circumstance and the storm around him and you know what happened to him. BUT God reached out his hand to Peter in the midst of Peter's unbeleif and saved Him before he totally drowned. Is that what I have done, have I taken my eyes off Him and started asking how did I get here and what am I doing walking on water that I have no business walking on. I know by the first sentence that you knew it is your lovely wife making these comments but God just reminded me that one of the first prophecies that we received for The Prayer Center was that God was causing the storm that was happening in our lives and that He was asking us to get out of the boat. Was it God's intention from the beginning for us to walk in a place that we had no business walking except by His grace and mercy? Things that make you go HUUUMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!! It's not over till it's over and it's not over yet.
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