We, Christians, love a good miracle. We’re moved by the bold prayers of a sick brother or sister who’s powerfully touched by the healing hand of God. We’re inspired by the drug addict who met Jesus at rock bottom, and whose testimony has grown into a powerful ministry founded on the redemptive hope of Christ.
We are all spurred on in faith when we have firsthand experience of the powerful, awe-inspiring, redeeming work of the God we serve.
But what happens when the miracle doesn’t happen for us? What are we to think when our bold prayers are met with worse circumstances, even when we know God could have done what we asked? Was my faith too weak, we wonder?
Or perhaps that’s the wrong question to be asking.
Let me explain.
Let’s say our life takes an unplanned and unwanted detour. Challenges surface; illness robs us of the life we knew and the future we expected; or an unexpected job loss threatens a way of life we’ve always known.
In these moments, if we believe God is sovereign and good, we call on him in faith, believing he hears our cries. Then we wait and watch with anticipation for how he’s going to answer.
Sometimes he answers in a powerful, circumstantial way. And he’s glorified through the faithful prayers that believed he could.
Sometimes he answers in a quiet, slow, faith-stretching, unseen way. And he’s glorified through the faith that believes he will still show himself faithful in time.
But over the years, I’ve realized how often my perception of God’s favor is hitched to the expectation that he will act in a way that tangibly moves on behalf of my perceived needs. In other words, I expect God to move powerfully to change my earthly circumstances as the proof and reward of faith. We read verses like Hebrews 11:1, 6 and believe it confirms this.
“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
But again, maybe we’re asking the wrong question. Or maybe we’re asking the right question but answering it the wrong way.
Instead of asking, “Is my faith too weak?”, we need to ask, “Is my faith more focused on what God can do or who he is?”
Is the reward of faith an easier life, the removal of pain, or the success we strive for? Or is the true reward found in the increase of faith itself—by whatever means God knows will bring about the greatest fruit?
What often leaves us floundering isn’t that our belief in God’s power is wrong, but our expectation of his power and promises is based on a short-term, earthly perspective of has favor.
So what is the faith God calls us to?
It’s an enduring faith that follows in the footsteps of our suffering Savior.
“Therefore, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
As you and I look at the circumstances before us, wanting to walk through them with faith, let’s honestly examine what our faith is rooted in. Is it in the outcome that we know God can bring about, or is it in the promise that God will bring about our greatest good and his greatest glory, even if we don’t fully see or understand it until eternity?
Because the truth is, “walking by faith” doesn’t guarantee our desired earthly outcome. We know this because we’ve been given specific examples of biblical heroes of faith whose lives had very different outcomes. The author of Hebrews 11:32-40 writes,
“And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead, raised to life again.”
And yet…
“Other people were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.”
In other words, some of us will walk by faith and see God’s powerful hand upon our circumstances as a result. Others of us will be entrusted with the painful privilege of glorifying God by walking in faith amidst great earthly loss. Some will be healed by the removal of disease. Some will be healed by passing through death into new life. Some will leave a legacy of faith by receiving the strength and opportunity to have fruitful ministry to thousands, some leave a legacy of faith by receiving the strength and endurance to honor Jesus through a lifetime of weakness, sorrow, and quiet faithfulness. Some will walk through life buffered by some degree of comfort and protection, while some will be called to endure a lifetime of persecution and struggle.
We rarely know the reasons why God does what he does—sometimes moving powerfully in an instant and sometimes seeming silent for years on end. But we mustn’t measure our level of faith by how it appears God is working in our lives at any given moment. If we do, we’ll either constantly question our faith, or we’ll constantly question his faithfulness.
Friend, instead of looking for evidence of God’s favor in the answers you desire right now, I encourage you, read about the heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11. Your heart will be encouraged to rest your confidence on the God who promises to be faithful, regardless of how faithful he appears at the moment.
Whatever we’re faced with today, tomorrow, or on the day we breathe our last, may we “run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” He may not perfect our desired circumstances, but he will perfect our faith as we fix our eyes on him.
Just like these men and women who have gone before us, whether our lives display God’s power to shut the mouths of lions or his strength to endure the unimaginable, we will leave a legacy of faith to those behind us, and be lead to unimaginable joy that lies ahead of us.
- Do you believe “faith” should lead to a certain earthly outcome?
- What does this passage in Hebrews 11 tell us about what God honors as a life of faith?
- What circumstance do you need to entrust to the Lord today with renewed faith that he will be faithful, even if it’s not in the way you immediately desire?
Meditate on or memorize Hebrews 10:35-
“So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.”
Home is around the corner,
Sarah
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To read more of Sarah’s writings, you can pick up a copy of Hope When It Hurts: 30 Biblical Reflections to help you grasp God’s purpose in your suffering), Tears and Tossings (short evangelistic resource on how God carries our sorrows), or Together Through the Storms (for married couples navigating the trials of life), and He Gives More Grace: 30 Reflections for the Ups and Downs of Motherhood. Lastly, you can now order Sarah’s Pilgrim’s Progress inspired children’s book based on the account of the Prodigal Son, titled “The Long Road Home” (Crossway).
Set Apart 
🩷🩷🩷Thank you for this beautiful and encouraging article 🙏🙏
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