So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. — Matthew 6:31-34 (NIV)
I was recently recalling a specific time during which God was growing my faith (2 Thessalonians 1:3). Since faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1), I was learning how to trust God at a higher level. This is a training we are all familiar with and it never ceases. When we got saved, faith started with believing in God’s character, that he is who he says he is. If it was not for our faith, we would not have believed that Jesus came, suffered, and died for us. We would not believe we are saved from death and that we will one day spend eternity with Christ. In essence, it takes faith to believe this.
Once we become saved, it doesn’t stop there. We read God’s promises to build our hope. When we put our hope in what God says, we tend to believe and act in faith. Faith culminates with believing in God’s promises, that he will do what he says he will do. The unsaved often think of the word hope in terms of uncertain desire—”I hope it doesn’t rain on Saturday.” However, for Christians, “hope” is a desire based on assurance, and the assurance is based on God’s character. His character tells us that he is not a man, he shall never lie.
I believe that faith is one of the hardest things to grow. If we don’t see God answer our prayers, one might think things like:
- He doesn’t hear me
- He doesn’t listen to me
- I am not good enough
- God never answers my prayers
And with this in mind, Christians stop trying to believe. So, as with any test, they have to start all over. This time, the test may come in a different form. If you see this type of pattern in your life, it may be an indication to stop taking the same test over and over again. It is time to press through and pass the test to mature in your faith. James 1:2-4 (MSG) puts it this way, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
The Workings of Our Faith
Faithful endurance generates whole people and strengthens our character, maturing us in Christ. After we faithfully endure the tests that come our way, we will be seasoned, experienced, well-developed, and fit for the tasks God sent us into the world to do. This strength is a quality developed by how much we have learned from our trials. When God is doing a new thing within us, we should often realize God is also preparing us to not only receive blessings, but to keep our eyes on him in case the enemy tries to rob, kill, or destroy our lives. That is the goodness of God. When we go through these tests, he does multiple things at once: he removes the weaknesses and imperfections from our character, we are gaining victory over old sins, blessings above what we ask or think are being formed, and we are able to demonstrate a sense of competence about life.
Kingdom Living
This is why building our hope and keeping our eyes upon the Lord becomes so important. When I think back to the time when God was building my faith and trust in him, I think about the times where I cried out “When, God, when!?!” or “How long do I have to keep asking!?!” I no longer had faith, but fear. Fear then turned into anger. I was losing hope in my situation instead of gaining it. Then, as a loving Father would do, he put an end to my suffering, as if to say, “Daughter, you are going about it all the wrong way. Can’t you see I am doing a new thing in your life?” He wanted me to see the beauty in him and everything pertaining to him. He wanted me to see him at a higher level. So, as gentle as a dove, Holy Spirit reminded me of Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
That was key. The more I turned my eyes toward God, focused my thoughts on him, and renewed my mind with his word and with kingdom living, the more I begin to feel a sense of peace. My anger turned to joy. My fear turned back to faith. And my disappointment turned into love. Then I realized, God was just protecting me, like a wonderful Father. I could not see it before because my mind was on the wrong thing. When I turned to him, I could see I was heading down the wrong path. I would have made a lot of mistakes that would have been very painful and could have caused my son pain. Thank God, he did not answer my prayer!
Instead, he showed me his way, which was the right path. It was a better solution; a better life; and a better way of doing things. Would it be easy? Well, most of the time. But the Holy Spirit spoke Revelation 3:8 (GW) into me, saying . . . “I know what you have done. See, I have opened a door in front of you that no one can shut. You only have a little strength, but you have paid attention to my word and have not denied my name.”
Strangely enough, when you get your priorities right, Jesus promised that God will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him. When Jesus’ followers seek his Kingdom first, God takes care of their needs.
In summary, I would love to encourage you to stop worrying. Instead, seek the kingdom of God, allow God to do a new thing, and live according to his promises for your life. Your way may be good, but God’s way is always better. Ask God what is the open door that he has opened for you and then ask him for help to walk down the easier path that he has paved for you. Whether you take small steps, crawl, or sprint to get there, keep moving forward and trust God (no worrying!) until you are able to see the blessings of God’s goodness. When you do, never stop seeking the kingdom of God. Allow him to prepare you for your next blessing and breakthrough. Never stop because once you walk through the open door, God prepares another one so that you can continue to trust Him and grow in faith.
May God bless you!
Gaining Hope 