Does Faith Equal Time?

Faith. Faith. Faith. Just a little bit of faith. It don’t take a whole lot. Just use what you got.

But my question as I begin to think this thought through is this:

How quickly does Faith produce results?

We are an instant society
We want results now. Immediate.
Not later. Today.
Not today, next hour.
Not the next hour, next minute.
Not next minute…Now!

We look for ways to complete tasks more quickly. Ship more rapidly. Order instantly. It seems the only way we are happy is for instantaneous results to pop on the horizon.

Somewhere along the way we’ve lost patience. Faith that it will all work out in a timing that’s not of our own. It’s difficult to let God’s timing be in control, and not our pace. Does God work quickly? Sure. But he always works at his own timing. I learned a long time ago to treat Faith as an acronym in this manner: Forsaking All I Trust Him. My schedule of thought cannot equal his timing of completion.

“Grass that is here today and gone tomorrow does not require much time to mature.
A giant oak tree that lasts for generations requires much more time to grow strong.”
~Henry T. Blackaby, Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Workbook

Can we expect God to act quickly?

At what speed can we expect God to act? Will he ever act quickly? Perhaps. In life-or-death situations we want Him to. But think of all those who lived before Christ.

Look at it this way:
At the right time, while we were still helpless,
Christ died for ungodly people.
(Romans 5:6 GW)

The Apostle Peter, who with the Keys to the Kingdom in his understanding hands, shared this thought:

But don’t forget this one thing, dear friends:
To the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day.
The Lord is not being slow in doing what he promised—
the way some people understand slowness.
But God is being patient with you.
He doesn’t want anyone to be lost.
He wants everyone to change their ways and stop sinning.
(2 Peter 3:8-9 ERV)

God’s timing is a lot longer than our whiff or vapor of life. If God said He’ll do something, then let’s be patient on His Timing. Not yours. Not Mine. We’re impatient. Let God be God.

Here’s My Thought Today

Patience is a virtue. Fruit of the Spirit. Right? (Galatians 5:22-23) Longsuffering is more commonly called Patience in other translations. Well, how soon do you see the fruit of your labors? If you’re growing grass, it’s quick. If you want a tall apple tree producing fruit in season? That takes patience. Fruit doesn’t show up on Day One! It’s a growth process. So. Grow!