Keep praying and believing (2)

Observe three things: (1) Jesus never said that following Him would be easy. “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33 NKJV). So when you attempt great things for God, expect difficulties—and delays. When construction crews work on a road, they often put up a sign: “EXPECT DELAYS.” The walk of faith is littered with these signs. Abraham and Sarah waited twenty-five years for Isaac to be born, so why do you think your answers should be instant? (2) You must persevere to receive. Waiting is an uncomfortable concept for us. We’re used to having everything “on demand.” If someone tells us to wait, we find an app on our iPhone and speed up the process. But there’s no shortcut when it comes to perseverance. Sometimes faith is painful because God is stretching our capacity to receive. So press through the pain—there’s gain on the other side! “Keep on asking and it will be given you.” (3) The end result of faith is larger territory. Twice after Isaac dug a well, the Philistines laid claim to the water. But when he dug a third time, the conflict stopped, and he named the new well Rehoboth, which means “a broad place” (see Genesis 26:18-22). Isaac kept on digging, and when the breakthrough came, he declared, “At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land” (v. 22 NAS). And the lesson Isaac learned is still part of our faith curriculum. We must stretch our faith when there’s no stretch left, and we must pray beyond delay.