A Limited Perspective

A Limited Perspective

When the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith? Luke 18:8

IT ISN’T WORKING. That’s the sentiment of numerous believers who have prayed and then looked around to see whether anything is happening. Early in our life of faith, that expectant survey may come just a day or two after we pray. But as we mature, we know things can take a lot longer. Still, we all have a tendency to grow weary and discouraged when we haven’t seen any fruit from our prayers over a long period of time. We wonder if God is answering our prayers and sometimes assume he isn’t.

But “it isn’t working” isn’t a valid observation. It would make sense if the prayer of faith was a straight trajectory, an ever-upward line toward the goal. We could measure progress and recognize when our efforts are futile. But if we charted a faith endeavor—with all its twists and turns, ups and downs, and forward and backward steps that happen along the way—the graph would look extremely volatile and unpredictable. Choosing a low point on that crooked line and saying “It isn’t working” neglects the whole picture. It ignores the end. It’s like choosing the moment of the worst predicament in a novel and calling it a horrible story without reading any further to see that it ends well.

God is working even when we don’t see anything happening. We know that at a theological level, but our hearts are slow to catch on. Yet many people have spent decades praying for a loved one without seeing any results, only to witness a conversion in later years. Many have prayed for a promise sown long ago, only to see its first shoots emerging from the soil after numerous painfully long winters. Jesus promised that he would return again, and two millennia later we are still watching. Yet God is not slow about his promises, counting millennia much differently than we do (2 Peter 3:8-9). Jesus’ question to his followers still stands. Will he find faith on earth?

That’s partly up to you. Make sure he does. Don’t lose heart. Don’t assume he isn’t working. The longer his promises take, the more magnificent they appear when they come.

There is no place for faith if we expect God to fulfill immediately what he promises.