When Your Sea Doesn’t Part
We’ve all heard these things preached…some of us have preached them ourselves.
“When you are caught between the Red Sea and an army, have faith and God will part the sea!”
When we’re waiting for God and God hasn’t shown up, we get the story of Jesus and Lazarus.
“God is never late…He’s always right on time!”
Then reality hits.
Sometimes, the sea doesn’t part.
Sometimes, Jesus doesn’t show up to resuscitate a loved one, or a dream left broken or dead.
You look for sin in your life (other people will be helpful in finding your “secret sin”) to blame for unanswered prayer.
You will wonder if you lacked faith or a dozen other reasons your hope delayed become hope denied.
You will brutalize yourself believing that there had to be something you could have done to move the hand of God.
When you finally resign yourself to what has happened or not happened, you will consign yourself to the ranks of God’s “stepchildren”…if you see yourself as a child of God at all.
May I suggest another explanation?
In the Hebrews 11 “hall of fame” it mentions these folks…
“Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
(Hebrews 11:35–40 ESV)
“They did not receive what was promised”…
I’m sure these folks prayed the same kind of prayers we did with the same results.
It wasn’t that God was not pleased with them…He was very pleased,indeed.
They simply were part of a much greater narrative.
That didn’t make it an easy narrative to live out.
“They did not receive what was promised”…
We might not either…in this life.
You may be one who suffers…one of whom the world is not worthy…
You will receive the promises…later.
They say it will be well worth it.
Finish your race…
Excellent and real Michael… Thank you. Amen. and Amen.
“did not receive what was promised”….
I know now that my expectations and disappointments have been largely because I was expecting incorrectly. I believed incorrect doctrine…. Oh, not doctrine of Who Jesus is, but what God’s intent for my life was to be. His plan is to conform me to the Image of Christ, and He was ‘not of this world”. He suffered. He came to die. He was slandered and betrayed. He wasn’t spared the suffering, blasphemy and all the other hideous experiences.
All of my 48 years years of being a believer, I have mistakenly believed that God’s love and ‘deliverance’ would apply to my circumstances and difficulties in this life, even tho Jesus plainly stated that ‘in this world you WILL have tribulation”…
How have I remained so blind for so long. God is so faithful in His patience with me. Am I finally getting it now? I don’t know, but I hope so.
Jesus was a Man of Sorrows, Acquainted with Grief…. why would I expect anything less in life?
…. Thinking of all the misleading teaching out there – TV in spades – too many people sucked in to a belief that Faith is the coin that activates the big material Dispenser in the Sky… what an insult to the Eternal, Holy God – Christians were never meant to be parade soldiers (that might come later, thoug.. dunno)
I came to the Faith before prosperity doctrines began … The “joy of the Lord” is an incomparable reality… Strength to go trough, indeed. Like Paige and most who are Redeemed the journey was way more challenging than we expected at the start of our journey
Thank you, Michael …… again. ?