God ain’t looking for an out, so don’t think you’re doing Him any favors by letting Him off easy. God is not sitting on the throne wiping the sweat off His brow saying, Whew, that was a close one. I thought she was going to push this all the way.

No, God wants you to push Him all the way. Test Him, prove Him and see won’t He do it; won’t He bring it to pass. God keeps His word. He is faithful. If He said it, it’s as good as done; that’s all it is to it.

So, in actuality we are not looking to give God an out, but ourselves. It is we who can’t last. We don’t have the courage to stick it out. Peter walked on water and would’ve kept on walking if he hadn’t freaked out (Matt. 14:25-33). God did what He said. Peter sank because Peter fell short, not God.

There is no limit to what God can do in our lives. The woman who had to gather all the jars she could find to collect the oil pouring from a near-empty vessel played her part (2Kings 4:1-7). It was not her job to provide the oil, but to collect it. As long as she could find vessels to fill, the oil kept flowing. When there were no more vessels, there was no more oil. God did His part. He did not run out of oil; she ran out of vessels.

How far can you go? How long can you last?

When you are waiting on a promise to come to pass, the heart faints, especially when it does not come to pass when expected. The virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom got tired when he didn’t show up when they expected him to (Matt. 25:1-13). No doubt they were excited when they first set out. They were told he’d be there and they went out with stars in their eyes and fantasies in their heads.

But when the hour grew late and he didn’t show up, they worried he might not come, and they all grew weary and slept. The bridegroom did come as promised, but the virgins were required to go a little further to meet him. Half of them weren’t prepared for the extra effort and missed him. The promise came to pass, but they could not endure to the end.

When God doesn’t show up when you expect Him, He doesn’t want you to make excuses for Him. Don’t try to explain why He is late. God doesn’t see time the way we do. A thousand years is as one day to Him. So His idea of soon may not be ours.

Yeah, you might look like an idiot, and people might start whispering and mocking you for your faith, but don’t stop believing. The word is still good; it’s a sure thing.

If you be honest with yourself, when God doesn’t show up and do what you expect Him to do at the expected time, you are the one looking for a way out. The what-ifs show up, making you doubt your faith: Maybe God didn’t say what you thought He said. Maybe He wanted you to do something else. What if you wasted all this time waiting on God and He doesn’t come through for you? How can your faith recover from that? God, who is supposed to be able to do all things, couldn’t (or wouldn’t) bring this to pass. What if it’s all a big lie you told yourself?

Be strong and very courageous. God is with you. He knows the challenges you face believing a God you cannot see. He knows how compelling the negative reports can be, how convincing and deceptive the natural eyes can be, and He still expects you to trust Him.

He will come through for you.

It takes strength and courage to believe God. Faith is not easy. It is work, and like any other job, after a while you get tired and lie down to rest. And like any other job, you get up the next day and get back to it. And like any other job, you get rewarded if you stay with it.

With all labor, there is profit. Believing God pays off.

–D.L. Lunsford