One of the major stumbling blocks to exercising a living faith in God is that we often believe that He takes too long to fulfill His promises to us. We read of promises of health, of good gifts, and of rewards for obedience, but sometimes we find ourselves in a period of waiting, and watching, and waiting. Then, before you know it, the strength of belief begins to get chipped away.
When appropriating the promises of God and their fulfillment, there are several important factors for us to bear in mind. God always sees the end from the beginning, and therefore He is able to plan and execute His plans with pinpoint accuracy. His plans know no haste or delay, for in the fullness of time His promises will be realized.
Again, there are other issues to consider about His promises, because it is not always the case that the fulfillment may do us good at such and such a time. For instance, if Joseph was brought down to Egypt and placed on the throne, without doing some jail-time, where he learned critically important lessons in justice, and where the spoil-child attitudes were consumed in the furnace of trial, he may not have ruled with wisdom and discretion.
Therefore, even though it was God, who by dreams showed him his future work, and the preeminence he would be given over his brethren, yet, in wisdom God saw fit to first prepare him for the fulfillment of the promise, for there are times when God is ready and able to bless us, but it is not always safe to do so prematurely, lest we misuse the blessings or turn our backs on Him. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 8:6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
7 For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;
9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.
11 Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:
12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;
14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
There are some questions that we must address if we are to live confidently, with a settled frame of mind, trusting in God without getting frustrated and not murmuring about His timing, and also avoiding the tendency to worry ourselves out of His hands.
Question [1]: Is our obedience to God’s commands based on promised reward? And if so, will there be a change in our obedience if there is a delay in the fulfillment of His promises.
Question [2] What would we consider a reasonable time-frame for the fulfillment of His promises, after all the prerequisites have been met?
Question [3] If the promises made to us do not get fulfilled in our lifetime, is God then a liar? Take for example:
Psalms 34: 17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Question [4] Are there other factors that can affect the fulfillment of His promises, such as the speed of our obedience, the attitudes we harbor, or external forces that are rigged against our souls?
Question [5] Why are some promises fulfilled as in a moment while others seem to be long delayed?
Question [6] Does God ever take too long?
Let’s just say here, that there are some promises which always get fulfilled instantly, because God is mostly concerned about our salvation. This is the reason why He sent His Son, and thus, whenever we repent and confess our sins in sincerity, the promise of forgiveness is fulfilled instantly, no exceptions. Let’s read:
1st John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
However, in other instances, the promises in the scriptures are given to us without any specific time frame for their fulfillment, and they are designed that way for particular reasons [1] So that we may exercise faith in God. [2] That we may allow Him to exercise His discretion in the administration of ways and means. [3] So that God may fulfill them to us in the fullness of time, which is always the right time. Let’s read:
Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
The Lord does not say exactly when the windows of heaven would be opened, but He does say that they will be opened. What then should we consider a reasonable timeframe for the windows of heaven to be opened after the prerequisites have been met? Right after returning tithes? Two days later? Or one month? Or one year?
In addition, should our motivation for obedience to this command be based on the reward or should we do it because it is right? Would we continue to obey and believe, even when the promises seem to fail or when human logic, science, and historical precedent may whisper serious doubts to the contrary. Let’s read:
Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision saying, Fear not Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Again, no specifics are given for the fulfillment of the promise, and therefore, the question is asked again: What should be a reasonable time frame for the fulfillment of the promise? One year, two years, ten years or twenty. How long should Abraham and His wife Sarah realistically continue to believe obey and wait, especially since her biological clock pertaining to pregnancy has stopped ticking many years ago?
Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase:
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Once more, no time frame is given for the filling of our barns, but they will certainly be filled, for God cannot lie. The problem some folks have is with the timing of the fulfillment, for many Christians believe God takes too long. Therefore, the waiting period in the interim seems difficult to bear, and the more we are impatient, the more vulnerable we become to plan “B”.
Psalms 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
What causes many of us to stumble is God’s timing and discretion, because there are times when the promises of God seem to be fulfilled in an instant, and at other times we may not see sun nor stars for many days. The real issue is whether the motivation behind our obedience is reasonable expectation, or if we will continue to believe and obey when, and if nothing seems to be happening.
So, let’s dig deeper into these issues of reasonable expectation, timing, and discretion as it pertains to God. Nebuchadnezzar has arrayed himself against the God of heaven, and he endeavors to force God’s servants to bow down to his graven image, against their will. They are in an emergency, for the fires of persecution have already been kindled, only waiting for fresh victims.
But the three faithful Hebrews are standing tall, for they are confident that their course of action meets God’s approval. First of all, they have the promises which clearly state that those who dare to interfere with God’s people will meet with retribution. The mega promises were given with pre-conditions, and as far as they know, all those conditions have been met. Let’s begin with the preconditions. Let’s read:
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.
10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.
11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
Zechariah 2:8 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3 For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior.
The three faithful Hebrews also have precedent to stand on, because they remember clearly, the time in the scriptures when God’s servant was facing the wrath of a certain king, and the God of heaven was not slack, to repay the king to his face. In fact, there were scores of dead bodies scattered abroad when everything was said and done. Let’s read:
2nd Kings 1:3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?
4 Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.
5 And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back?
6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words?
8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.
12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.
14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.
15 And the angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.
Thus, armed with obedience based on their love of God, historical precedent, and the promises of God, the three Hebrews could face the danger before them with confidence; and their expectation of deliverance would be reasonable, for they obeyed the commands of God to the letter and it was their obedience that had triggered the rage of the king Nebuchadnezzar. Let’s read:
Daniel 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews.
9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever.
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar;
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
Based upon the promises given in the scriptures, it was reasonable for the Hebrews to look forward to deliverance because God has specifically stated that obedience to His commands will result in blessings of protection especially when the lives of His people are in danger. The question some struggle with is: When will the deliverance come? Before they are thrown in the fire, or after they are thrown?
But as we read further, we discover that the three Hebrews were managing their expectations in ways that allow God to exercise His own discretion in the matter. In other words, here they have the promise at their back, they have a clear conscience because of obedience, and they have historical precedents, but they leave some wiggle room, just in case God may see it fit to act differently in this particular situation.
The timing for the fulfillment of the promise is also left up to God, because the deliverance could come either before or after the fact, or it may not come at all in their lifetime. The tendency to try to hold God to His throat in the fulfillment of promises He has made, is not good, for it usurps the discretionary prerogative of God in this or that situation. Let’s read:
Daniel 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
The three Hebrews were delivered instantly, and we rejoice with them, but has anyone ever read Fox’s book of martyrs? In the fullness of time, and as God sees fit, are indispensable elements to the exercise of living faith, or else, the obedience that is based solely on expectation will shudder, and collapse on the brink, if or when expectation isn’t realized.
Nothing is wrong with reasonable expectation that is based upon the promises made in the Bible. But we should allow God the room to have discretion in the fulfillment of any promise, or else, if we try to hold Him to an ultimatum we will discover that very severe temptations will be spawned as a result, and these in turn could shake or destroy our faith.
John trembled on the brink in prison, because his expectation wasn’t realized. Thus, it’s important for us to serve and obey God, not merely because of reward or promise, but because we love Him, and it is the right thing to do.
When we do this from the heart, we will find that many promises would be fulfilled in our lives, for God desires the service of love only. Therefore, we end with a brief history of those faithful who have gone before, so that we may be encouraged in our own personal experience. Let’s read:
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment.
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise.
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
God Bless!