As we wait in faith for him to act, we are to trust that he hears the cry of our heart: "My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord . . . that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful" (James 5:10-11). God is greatly moved by our tears and our groaning. He hears our weeping.
Jesus has given us an ironclad promise for these last days.
Troubling circumstances and fiery conditions can bring on confusion. At such times, our impatience begins to reason: "God must not have meant what he said to me. Or maybe the problem is my inability to hear his voice. Perhaps I heard him wrong in the first place. All I know is that what he told me and what I see developing don't add up."
I have never felt more helpless and anxious than when we moved back to New York City to start Times Square Church. Once again we were subject to the mercy of the schedules of landlords and building superintendents. When I had to wait, I became quite impatient and cried, "Lord, there's so much to be done in New York and so little time. How long do we have to wait?"
Yet time after time God patiently answered me, "David, do you trust me? Then wait."
Saul gave God a deadline! He didn't declare it, but in his heart Saul decided that if a word from above didn't come by a certain time, he would do whatever was needed to save the situation.
"And [Saul] waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, ‘Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me. And he offered the burnt offering" (1 Samuel 13:8-9).
Paul kept his faith through good times and bad.
In his final days Paul could boast, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). Think about Paul's testimony at that point. He could say, "Satan sent messengers to fight me in Jerusalem, Damascus, Asia, Ephesus, Antioch, and Corinth. But I kept the faith.
"He tried to sink me in the storm-tossed Mediterranean. Three times I was shipwrecked, bobbing in the deep, night and day. But I kept the faith.
Your ongoing trial may involve physical suffering, unemployment, children who rebel, faithless friends, mental distress, turmoil or pain. As you endure day after day, Satan will whisper to you as he did to Job: "The righteous don't suffer. If God heard you — if he saved you and his promises are true — you should have been rescued immediately. Where is your God? Is this what faith gets you?"
Some of you reading this message are in the storm of your life.
Jesus' disciples endured pounding waves in a storm-tossed boat while their Master lay fast asleep. Finally, as the storm threatened to overwhelm the boat, they cried out to Jesus, accusing him of not caring about their fate. "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" (Mark 4:38). Jesus calmed the storm but was incredulous at his disciples' lack of faith. He asked, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" (4:40).
“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward" (Hebrews 10:35). If you are a Christian, you are in a fierce war. In fact, you're in a life-and-death battle for your faith. Satan is determined to shipwreck and destroy the faith of all of God's elect. And the stronger your faith, the greater will be his attack against it.
So, you want to be a man or woman of God? If so, you are going to be served a cup of pain. You’ll weep because of something much worse than physical pain. I’m speaking of the pain of being bruised and rejected by friends; the pain of parents when children trample their hearts and become strangers to them; the pain between a husband and wife when walls are built up between them.
I have read many biographies of missionaries, ranging from contemporary times to ancient history. You would think these precious people, so used of God, would have stories of constant love, power and joy. Not so. Their stories are marked by heartache, discouragement, even treachery — stories not of adventure but of tears.