It doesn’t happen overnight.
The thought of it happening quickly or instantly is one that proves to be very alluring indeed. A man is sick, a prayer is made, the man is healed. Job done. Everyone happy, praise God.
That’s not always how God operates. In fact quite often there are things he will say to one generation that’s not realised for another generation. Indeed sometimes something He says to one fella isn’t fulfilled for hundreds of years. In fact part of the reading of the heroes of faith in Hebrews is about how from Abel to the prophets in exile they all looked forward to someone they would never live to see but who was worth far more than instant healing and the like.
Now that He has risen and we’re here waiting for His return we are on a mission to prepare for Him just as the patriarchs of old prepared for His first coming. We prepare by living out His Kingdom come, bearing witness to the risen King, sharing the goodness of the light in a world deluged in darkness. The work is a hard one and not designed for the short game. For every act I read about in the book of Acts, it was never about the victory in itself. It was about what it hinted at, what it indicated and how it motivated a pursuit to keep on going. Until that final day and until then it called for believers to be committed for the long haul.
Committed through misunderstanding. Committed through rejection. Committed through necessary changes. Committed through pain and loneliness. Committed through setbacks.
Committed through victories. Committed through progress. Committed through growth. Committed through celebration of new life, restoration, healing and deliverance.
God help us to be committed for the long haul.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 