Disciplined Faith

Disciplined Faith

Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

TIMES OF WAITING AND TESTING are no surprise to anyone with experience in the faith life. These trials of faith are common even (or especially) at the beginning. They are hallmarks of the faith journeys of heroes like Abraham, Joseph, David, Elijah, and many more. A promise is given and believed, but then time passes. And passes some more. And continues to pass while all sorts of opportunities to believe something different come along.

Faith is a discipline because it demands our focus even when we are faced with distractions, contradictions, diversions, temptations to unbelief, and much more. We wrestle with the balance between holding things loosely and standing firm. On the one hand, we know better than to be inflexible with God; on the other, we know better than to compromise the promises he has given. While we are waiting, we play out all sorts of scenarios in our minds about what God wants us to do, how we are to think, and whether the promise will come just as we envisioned. We also play out all sorts of emotions, guarding against disappointment while stirring up our confidence and joy. Sometimes it seems as if our waiting period is a brutal testing ground designed to try our faith.

It is—at least to some degree. God is not brutal, and he takes no pleasure in putting us through difficult circumstances. We can’t blame him for such things, and the reasons for our waiting will always contain some element of mystery. But sometimes the delays are designed or at least used by him to serve as a training period. When we are forced to stand firm, refusing to be swayed, refusing to compromise mentally and emotionally with something other than God’s will—you’ve probably experienced that dynamic of getting used to a less-than-ideal situation or accepting the “reality” of something you think is not right—we are either strengthened or weakened in faith. That’s by design. We have to let the gap between promise and fulfillment do its work. Stand firm, remind yourself daily of God’s faithfulness, and patiently believe. No matter what.

Patience means waiting without anxiety.