There are difficult seasons of life that God, in his sovereignty, allows us to walk through. Loss, depression, fear, or sickness, they sneak up and shake the ground beneath us. In moments of faith and clarity we speak beyond our circumstances and look to the hope that awaits us. But sometimes those seasons last longer than we expected. They linger. They outstay their welcome, and we begin to wonder- uncomfortably shifting in our position of faith- if perhaps there will be no end to the night. We acknowledge that God is our Savior and that he can do all things, but maybe he has no intention of moving this particular mountain from our way. Maybe this is as good as it will ever get. We trudge along, living heavy lives with unmet expectations.
I am certain we can all agree that every good and perfect gift comes from our Heavenly Father. I have only to look upon the precious faces of my three little ones and there is no doubt in my mind that this is true. Looking back on all the ways God has provided for my family, spared us grief and heartache, and walked alongside us through difficulties over this past year, I am confident that my God takes care of me. My God cares. However, dissatisfaction has been growing over the past few months. At first, this lack of satisfaction was directed towards God. While he has answered some of my prayers, there were always loose ends that never seemed to be taken care of. I thought God was a God who not only answered prayer, but also took care of the details. Without sounding like an ingrate, I was really expecting more from God. As the dissatisfaction grew, my heart became more and more stirred to look at the way I was praying and to what degree of faith I was believing. It didn't take long for me to realize that it wasn't God who was neglecting to tie up the loose ends and complete the answer. Rather, it was my lack of faith that God could really answer my prayers completely. I was only believing for a piece-mealed answer instead of believing for a full-fledged miracle. And I will admit, I have lived out this small and cynical faith most of my life.
God is the God of the complete. He is not the God of half-hearted answers. He doesn't throw us a bone every now and then in order to keep us loosely tethered to his side. God is the God who promises to deliver us, and that deliverance is final. God is the God that promised to provide and supply all of our needs, and the supply he brings is an abundant one, overflowing. God is the God who heals and leaves no trace of sickness behind. God is the God of completion.
My faith has been about as big as the answers I've been given, and I believe God is stirring my heart to a bigger more adventurous kind of faith. A faith that believes in complete answers. A faith that believes in a complete God.
Judges 6:16 "The Lord answered, 'I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.'" God was speaking to Gideon, who was a lot like me in the faith department, and exhorting him that when Gideon stepped out to fight, God would complete the battle. It wouldn't be a piece-mealed victory. It would be a complete victory.
I Chronicles 16:11,12 "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles and the judgements he pronounced."
Isaiah 45:2-3 "I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name."
Matthew 17:20-21 "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
I am believing for a complete answer to prayer. I am placing my faith, not in what I can understand or conceptualize, but in a God who promises to do a complete work. I am believing that God is the God of completion, and I am waiting in expectation.
So, what about those seasons of unmet expectations? What about those years of God's silence?
God allows us to drink the bitter waters of pain, sorrow, loss, and silence for one reason, and that is so we may be able to give God the glory when the sweet springs of restoration and healing pour into and then out of our lives. Nothing happens to us, or in us, that hasn't first passed through the hands of our Savior. He never allows us to drink bitter waters without his permission. And he never permits something that will not fit into the complete picture of his deliverance and answer. Even the dark seasons serve a purpose in the completion of his victory. And when the mountain that has blocked our way for too many years tumbles once and for all into the sea of our past, we will stand in awe of a God who has never left us, has been in constant contact, and not once took his hand from our lives. And the glory belongs to him.
Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Believing God for bigger things. Trusting his ways in the completion of the answer. Never wavering, but always hoping. And when it is done, it will be COMPLETE!