Finding Faith

"And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

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As I read this passage and thought about those in the crowd, I found my own frustrated and annoyed face among them. Yes, Moses and Joshua and David spent oodles of time in Your courts, gazing upon Your beauty, and "making their requests known". Of course creating those habits is a solid foundation for building a relationship with God. But what about all those things I have cried out for, yet years later still never seen the Lord avenge? Years doesn't seem "speedy" to me. Though the questioning hearts of the pharisees, beggars, and disciples aren't expressed in the next verse or the one after, I know their doubts. Because they're in my own heart. Once again we see the epidemic of human nature.

Somehow we as humans feel the right, the entitlement, to question the almighty God and His ways. [If you read one of my favorite passages of scripture, Job 38-42:6, your eyes might see yourself in a more pea-brained light. And you'll probably need a fresh pair of pants as well.] Questioning God can lead us to deeper revelations of His character, but the casualty comes when our questioning distracts us from the second part of that passage- faith. I could go on and on with tales of my short-comings, but I don't feel that God is in the mood to drag me through the mud today [just for the record, He is never in that mood] but rather I feel myself being pulled up by my boot straps. Now it's the Lord Almighty asking the questions, and He's cutting to the core, plain and simple- Are you more concerned with seeing the answers you think your prayers deserve, or with My plans for your life? 

Ouch. 

The nation of Israel had been praying for their Messiah for hundreds of years, but for many of them the man speaking most definitely did not fit into the box of what their savior should look like. They missed the man Jesus entirely! How painful. 

Quite less severe, but I could've missed my husband. I told God I didn't want to marry a musician, anyone younger than me, or from US- let alone Spokane! And my husband is all of those. And I am so happy. God totally knew what He was doing, so much better than I.

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There are moments we are invited to the ridge of our current circumstances, and to look back at the landscape of our lives. We can see mountains and valleys, deserts and rivers. Trials and errors are now minute in comparison to the flourishing gardens that follow. And as a deep sigh escapes our lungs, it isn't satisfaction that our great strength and perseverance got us through, it's awe and wonder at the faithfulness of the Lord that fills us.

And that's where I'm at today. Both Max and I. We're loving all the Lord's blessings, little and big. And we're looking forward to the life of adventure that lies ahead.