What is it that we have faith in?
What exactly are we believing for?
Are we believing for things to turn out our way, or the way that is seemingly most favorable to us? Are we believing for events and even other people’s choices, words and behaviors to be positively in our favor?
Or is our faith deeper? Is our faith for something more?
Herein is the reality of faith. If our faith is in our prayers getting answered exactly as we have prayed them our prayers are pretty short-sighted and the god we believe in is not either a very capable, very wise or very good god.
I can only see things from a limited perspective. Furthermore what I see is limited in scope. Further still, what I perceive and understand regarding what I see is even less than my sight. And on top of all of this, my limited perspective, and limited understanding is so often stymied and obstructed even more by my mixture of motives and nearly complete self-oriented (even if amoral) focus. And it is in the context of such limitations that I make my requests to my God.
Do I really want Him to answer according to my limitations? Or would I not rather have one infinitely wiser, stronger, larger, holy and more perfect give His answer according to His character and ability?
And so if my faith is founded upon the fluency of my request, or the sufficiency of my previous efforts or any other finite locus then my faith is in vain and the outcome will most certainly disappoint my preconceptions and my self-focused motives.
If on the other hand my faith is in God, holy and perfect, loving and kind, faithful and compassionate, then I must be okay with my prayers being answered in ways I NEVER could imagine. I should be content, at peace and yes even expectant that my prayers would be answered in a far better way than my measly queries.
And so the dilemma of my faith is that I am believing in God to deliver me from some perceived (or assumed/presumed) peril before me and not knowing if He really will deliver me the way I would define deliverance; The promise of my faith is that a perfect, holy and loving God will answer my prayers out of His riches and storehouses of eternal/infinite blessings and His answer will be perfect, EVERY TIME.
And so Lord, please answer my cries. But answer them how you want. Let your character, wisdom and ability be the answer to my prayers. My faith is in you, and my belief is that you do all things well. I know that everything You do is for the good of your children, for the glory of Your name and the advancement of your kingdom. Thank you God that You are infinitely greater than everything else in all creation!
Pastor Michael Johnson 