But For How Long?

“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” - James 5:7-8 
 
 
Yesterday, we talked about faith, a word that is commonly associated with God. We believe in God, though we have not seen Him. That is faith. We believe He died on the cross, and on the third day rose from the grave. We believe that He lived a sinless life. None of these things we ever saw. That is faith. 
 
We believe these stories from the Bible. Yet, we often struggle to have faith about the things He is saying to us now in our own lives. God requires us to have faith in many different areas. As Hebrews 11 reminded us yesterday, faith is what we hope for and the assurance of things we do not see. We have to be confident that though we do not see them, and though they have yet to materialize, they will. 
 
That is easy to say, but the real question becomes, how long are you willing to wait? How long can you keep that faith? Oftentimes, we read a powerful devotional, or listen to a sermon on YouTube, or maybe hear a really good podcast, and we feel very spiritually motivated. We get that “high,” and trusting the Lord becomes a little easier. 
 
We think, “oh yeah, I can keep going! If God wants me to wait, I’ll wait as long as it takes!” But then time goes by…and maybe we don’t hear from Him in the same “awe-inspiring” way. Then what? Do you still have faith? Do you still trust Him?  
 
Yesterday, we said anyone can trust what they already see. It is much more difficult to have faith in the things that we cannot see. It is even more difficult to have that type of faith for an extended period of time. Is your faith timeless? Do you trust God for as long as it takes? Or only for a limited time? Is your faith an “I’ll trust you God, but for how long do I have to wait?”  
 
Faith is hard. Faith plus patience is even harder. But the reward is greater than anything you can imagine. Do you have faith? Will your faith stand the test of time? How much do you really trust God?