The Difference between Challenges and Suffering, what God’s about when we aren’t seeing our promises yet and what we can do to participate in the manifestation of our promises.
A common belief when we are waiting on a delayed promise is that it’s simply not God’s timing yet. God will get around to fulfilling the promise but for whatever reason he is not doing it now.
This concept is NOT biblical or the heart of God.
That concept came from some misinterpretations of the bible and the opinions of discouraged people.
What does the bible mean when it tells us to wait?
13 [What, what would have become of me] had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living (while I am still alive)!
The word Wait here isn’t talking about sitting by and seeing what God does. It’s an active expectant action that is attentive and ready. It’s an application of faith. It’s implied participation. Most of the time when the bible talks about promises it’s using words that describe actually participating instead of standing by and checking out until something happens.
8 So you also must be patient. Establish your hearts [strengthen and confirm them in the final certainty], for the coming of the Lord is very near (you are close to experiencing the presence of the lord). James 5:7-8 (AMP) (Elaboration added see the Strongs.)
This verse is talking about the times when you aren’t currently experiencing the manifest presence of the lord or the promises that you have received. The word Wait is referring to an active participation and expectation of a promise. The farmer doesn’t just plant a seed and check out. They watch over the progress every day and make sure the seeds are watered and growing and not being dug up. The word wait it more like how a good waiter serves and is active and aware of when they are needed. We aren’t the source of the power or promises but we must co-labor with it.
Waiting Passively for God to do Something
Why do people get into this mindset?
It’s easier to think there is nothing to be done.
Life is hard and it’s tempting to think that God is orchestrating all things so you don’t need to really do much. I’m going to go deeper into that but the short of it is we need to be active and willing to work and fight with God. We are so much more powerful than we know and the effort is worth it when we have the right strategy. (I will go into this in detail in another post.)
Weariness and helplessness
It’s easy to get into a state of passiveness because sometimes you just don’t know what to do and nothing makes sense. One figures; “Well God is all powerful right? So he must either not care or just be using the suffering to teach me something.”
This is a misunderstanding of God’s nature.
God DOES NOT create suffering to Teach or Upgrade us
There is plenty of suffering in the world without God’s Help. God does NOT desire to beat you down until it get’s into your skull. AND God does not NEED to use suffering to upgrade us. God created the universe. He can do that in love encounters. You could have a spiritual encounter with God and get upgrades. He is a loving father who teaches with love not anger.
So often the prayer of the believer is “God please do this thing. Why aren’t you doing it. I beg you please do it.” God certainly desires to bless us so it’s silly to beg him. It would be better to pray, “Lord you want this to come to pass. Show me what to do to make it happen. Give me your grace and favor and power to bring it to pass. Work through me to make it happen.”
See these verses about how God wants to bless us and the promises he has for is.
Even though God desires us to be blessed, healthy and prosperous God will however allow us to be challenged so we can become strong.
Read the Next post about Suffering and Challenges
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