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Faith in Lengthy Trials
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And her adversary also provoked her sore,
for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. And as he
did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she
provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. Then said Elkanah her
husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and
why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?”
1 Samuel 1:6–8
There have been times in my life when trouble has come, and I’ve gone to my knees in prayer and seen God work almost immediately to resolve the issue. I’ve seen Him provide in ways beyond human explanation—ways that could only be Him at work. There have been other times of trouble when my prayers and petitions have been every bit just as sincere and heartfelt, when there is nothing hindering my relationship with God, when I am walking in close fellowship with Him, but there has been no immediate answer.
God does promise to meet our needs, but He does not promise to work in the way that seems best to us. What He expects from us is that we trust just as much when the answer to our prayer is delayed as we do when it comes right away. The natural tendency in those moments is to think that God has failed and that we must take matters into our own hands.
That approach always leads to failure. In truth, there are times when the delay is a vital part of God’s plan to strengthen and build us into what He desires. “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:3–4). We must continue to trust and wait for God to work in His time.
1 Samuel 1:6–8
There have been times in my life when trouble has come, and I’ve gone to my knees in prayer and seen God work almost immediately to resolve the issue. I’ve seen Him provide in ways beyond human explanation—ways that could only be Him at work. There have been other times of trouble when my prayers and petitions have been every bit just as sincere and heartfelt, when there is nothing hindering my relationship with God, when I am walking in close fellowship with Him, but there has been no immediate answer.
God does promise to meet our needs, but He does not promise to work in the way that seems best to us. What He expects from us is that we trust just as much when the answer to our prayer is delayed as we do when it comes right away. The natural tendency in those moments is to think that God has failed and that we must take matters into our own hands.
That approach always leads to failure. In truth, there are times when the delay is a vital part of God’s plan to strengthen and build us into what He desires. “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:3–4). We must continue to trust and wait for God to work in His time.
Today’s Growth Principle:
The true measure of our faith can only be taken in times when it is put to the most severe test.
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