If you never saw any of the things you’ve prayed for, would you still be satisfied?
The other day, I sat alone with God reading Hebrews 11 and had one of the most touching experiences I’ve ever had while reading the bible: I cried.
I’ve cried many times to God. I’ve cried tears of joy and pain. I’ve cried tears of pain that turned into tears of joy. All because of His goodness, towards me. But for the first time I cried because of His goodness towards all.
Hebrews 11 took me through the goodness of God over the ages. His goodness being displayed through the faith of His chosen people. Noah built an entire ark based off of one warning God gave him (Genesis 6:13-22); Sarah, who considered it impossible to conceive a child, developed the faith to see the day Issac was born (Genesis 21:1-2); Abraham, who put his only son on the altar at God’s command (Genesis 22:1-19). Then verse 13 reads, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.”
They too did not see all they hoped for, even with all the faith that they had. Yet still, they embraced the promises from afar and confessed that this life is only temporary; ultimately sacrificing their worldly desires for the kingdom of heaven—their permanent home.
That’s when I heard God say, If you never saw any of the things you’ve prayed for, would you still be satisfied? Would you still have faith in me?
I pondered the answer, knowing that everything I ask in prayer will be received, if I have faith. Yet, there is so much I have not received. And trust, I’ve been praying.
So what good is having faith if I haven’t seen it?
Actually, what good is having faith if I need to see it to believe it. What good is this life I live if I’m not pleasing Him? Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth? Will He look down and consider me to be one whose faith did not rest in men but in His power, who prayed without ceasing, walked by faith—one who pleased Him?
In Luke 18, Jesus begins the parable with the instruction to pray and not lose heart, then ends it with the question, “..when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”. Almost as if He is guaranteeing that we will not see all that we pray for in our expected timing. But will we position our hearts to believe it anyway? Will we choose to put our faith, not in the thing, but in His goodness?
To every one thing we see God do, we’re quickly reminded of the 100 things we haven’t seen. Then somehow, we convince ourselves that it won’t ever happen. That the healing is impossible, the dream is too big, or that we are too small. Too small to be heard, seen, and understood by a big God. A big God who saw our smallness as something worth taking the form of, and then worth dying for. The same command He gave Abraham, He fulfilled years later, with faith that we would one day choose Him.
I cried at His goodness. Because God’s divinity is not restricted by our timeline. His goodness is still proven in the things He doesn’t do. His goodness still lies in the things He hasn’t done..yet. And for the first time, I saw that.
Starting today, I’ve chosen to build my faith on His word. The words I have read and the words He has spoken to me. Just as the elders of old, I’m willing to die in it. I encourage you to do the same.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
– Hebrews 11:1
