How God Builds Your Faith

7 Pentec= ost, Proper 11

July 19, 2009

Rev. Ken= Wratten at St. Stephen’s, San Jose

Six Phases of Faith

Part 4: Delayed on Purpose

We have been reflecting on the process that = God leads us through, to grow our faith. We see this process over and over agai= n as we look at examples in Scripture; Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph, and David.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> All experienced God’s dream, making a decision, delays, difficulties, dead ends, and deliverance. Once we know the steps of this pro= cess for building faith, we can identify it in our own lives, too. And so we fir= st looked at the need to discern God’s dream, God’s plan for your life. Then we explored the critical next step, making the decision to act on your dream; to step out, make the commitment, and show God you mean it.

Today we look at the third step in the proce= ss that God uses to build our faith: That step is the delay until God answers = your prayers. Why does that happen? If he hears you, and has the power to do anything, why is there almost always a delay? And then after you get= it settled that God’s delay is on purpose, what should you be doing during the delay?

The classic story about God’s delay is= when the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt and then wandered for forty years before they were led into the Promised Land. It's only about a two weeks’= walk between Egypt and Israel. It = took them 40 years.

Exodus 13:17 "When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them (directly), though that way was shorter. For God said, `I= f they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt'." They were delayed on purpose. God had them wander for 40 years on purpose. Why?

Here is what the apostle Paul said is God’s plan for all of us; “There must be a spiritual renewal o= f your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness – righteous, holy, and true.” Ephesians 4:23,24

“As the Spirit of the Lord wo= rks within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.” 2 Cor 3:18b=

God wants to use your life to teach you how = to take on the values and the character of Christ. As for me, I know that is g= oing to take God some time to accomplish. So there are two reasons God’s actions are delayed on purpose:

1. God uses delays to prepare us. Every dream has its difficulties.&n= bsp; God uses delays to get us ready for those difficulties; to build our perseverance; to help us grow in maturity of faith.

I have shared with some of you that when I w= as about 10 years old, I became an altar boy in my home parish. I loved it. I loved the prayers, the vestments, the smells, the sounds, the sense of bein= g in a holy space. I told my parents that someday I wanted to be a priest. =

Twenty years later I was a lay reader, and w= as asked to join a course in pastoral care. I joined the course, and loved it. During the course, the rector offer= ed to sponsor me going to seminary. But I had a young family, and just couldnR= 17;t find a way for that dream to work.

Twenty years later, my vicar at Holy Spirit = in Campbell offered to present me to the bishop for entering the process for H= oly Orders. That timing worked. And what also worked was the forty years of experience in public speaking, running a business, being a parent, a pastor= al caregiver, and simply getting more life experience. I know that God’s delay was intentional, and made me a better priest for St. Stephen’s. There is no question. I didn’t see it while it was happening, but the= re is no question. God uses delays to prepare us.

2. God uses delays to test our commitment.&nb= sp;

James 1:2-4, “Wh= en your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, = for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and read for anything.”

James teaches that this ‘testing’= ; by God isn’t a pass/fail kind of test. God doesn’t decide that you fail so the answer to your prayer, to your dream, is ‘No’. This test looks at what life throws at you, and God gives you the resources to go through those things, so you can grow in spiritual maturity through the experience.

Most of the children of Israel who escaped E= gypt never got through Phase Three. Only two of the first generation - Joshua and Caleb, actually got to the Promised Land. Why? Because the rest of them never gre= w in commitment to God; in spiritual maturity.

When you go through the delays in life waiti= ng for an answer to prayer, there are four things God has demonstrated that we should not do. If you = do, it will prolong the delay. =

= Don't let fear paralyze you

= Don't lose patience

= Don't give up

= Don't forget

1. Don't let Fear paralyze you.

The Israelites said, `We are afraid... The people there are stronger and taller than we are..." They had enough faith to move out = of Egypt, but they didn't have enough faith to move into the Promised Land. Many of your dreams have never been fulfilled; not because of God, but because of you. Because you haven’t stepped = out in faith.

When you're afraid to go after the dream God= has given you, INSTEAD, focus on God's presence. He is with you now, He always has = been and always will be. He's with= you on your good days and your bad days. He's with you when you feel it and He's with you when you don't feel it.

Some of you are in the delay phase right now. You've been praying about something and it hasn't happened yet. You start to think that God has forgotten you. God has not forgotten you. He knows what you're going through= . It is a delay on purpose. God wants to build your character = and He wants you to learn to trust in Him. You can count on Him for His help.&= nbsp; Don't let fear paralyze you.

2. Don't lose patience.

"On the way the people lost their patie= nce and spoke against God and Moses. They complained..." Num 21:4-5

Israel complained all the time, no matter wh= at God had done for them -- the Ten Plagues and the opening of the Red Sea. There was no water -- then God pro= vided them water. Then they complai= ned about no food -- and God provided food.&nb= sp; Then they complained about the food they got.

You get a dream from God, make the decision = to go for it, and then when the delay comes, you start trying to figure out wa= ys to do God's dream on your own. <= o:p>

INSTEAD, trust God's timing. Psalm 37:7-8 "Rest in = the Lord, wait patiently for Him to act. Don't fret and worry. = It only leads to harm."

How much sleep have you lost in your life, worrying about why things aren’t happening faster than they are? The = fact that we lie awake at night means we're not living by faith. We aren’t really trusting Go= d to work it out. God wants us to = not be discouraged, and not give up. God wants us to trust his timing.

3. Don't Give Up

Numbers 14, "All= the Israelites grumbled against Moses... `If only we had died in = Egypt! ... We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt." They gave up on their dream. They had been in slavery 400 years= but now they wanted to go back to Egypt.

When we get a dream from God, we make the decision to go for it, and if it doesn't immediately happen, we start to se= cond guess ourselves -- "Maybe I didn't really hear from God. Maybe I just made this up. Maybe God is not listening. “= ;

And then we say "Let's go back to Egypt.” Some people wou= ld rather live in slavery than face the fear of freedom. They are not willing to work on the problem until they get it right. They want to go back and give up.&n= bsp; Don't settle for less than God's plan for your life.

INSTEAD of giving up -- be persistent and pray. <= /p>

God told Joshua to march around the walls of Jericho and they would all fall down. It didn't happen the first time they marched. They had to do it seven times; sev= en days in a row. And on the sev= enth day they had to march around seven times.&= nbsp; If God was going to make the walls fall, why didn't He make them fall the first time? He was teachi= ng them to be persistent and pray.

Galatians 6:9 "Let = us never grow tired of doing what's right, for if we do not faint, we'll reap a harvest at the right time." This is a very important life less= on: In life, you reap whatever you sow= . If you sow criticism, you will rea= p a lot of criticism in your life. If you sow love, you will reap love back into your life. If you sow generosity, you will re= ap back generosity. <= /span>

Also, you will reap more than you sow. If you plant one kernel of corn, y= ou get a whole stalk with thousands of kernels.&n= bsp; But there is always a delay between sowing and reaping. You plant in one season and you re= ap in another. God wants to see if = you're going to keep cultivating, planting, sowing – to see if you really me= an it. The harvest will not come immediat= ely because it proves nothing. No= delay results in no character development, no growth of faith.

Jesus said, Lk 18:1 "You need to= pray continually and not lose heart." What do we pray during the delay p= hases of life? Pray, "Help me = hold on and not give up." Don= ’t give up.

4. Don't Forget

During the delay, don’t forget your dr= eam. Don’t forget what God has al= ready done in our life. Don’t= forget God's goodness to you in the past. <= /span>Don’t forget that God is with you. <= o:p>

Ps. 106 says, "Th= ey forgot the many times God showed them his love, and they rebelled at the Red Sea. But He saved them as= He promised. But they quickly forgot again!”

But we should not be too quick to judge them because we do the same thing. When a delay happens to us, we start acting like God has never done anything for us. INSTEAD, remember God’s dream, God’s presence, God’s goodness in your l= ife.

"The Lord is not being slow to carry= out His promises but He is being patient with you." 2 Pet. 3:3-8. God is waiting for you to learn to= not fear, not lost patience, not give up, and not forget. God is never in a hurry. The delays that come in your life = do not destroy God's purpose. They f= ulfill God's purpose in your life. <= o:p>

The Lord is teaching us that the question sh= ould not be, "Why, God?" The question we need to ask is, "Lord, what is it that You want me to learn during this time?" =

The things you wait for in your life, God wi= ll bring to you do not fear, do not lose patience, do not give up, and do not forget. Amen.