The "all things" do not always come simply for the asking, for the reason that God is ever seeking to teach us the way of faith, and in our training in the faith life there must be room for the trial of faith, the discipline of faith, the patience of faith, the courage of faith, and often many stages are passed before we really realize what is the end of faith, namely, the victory of faith.
Real moral fibre is developed through discipline of faith. You have made your request of God, but the answer does not come. What are you to do?Keep on believing God's Word; never be moved away from it by what you see or feel, and thus as you stand steady, enlarged power and experience is being developed. The fact of looking at the apparent contradiction as to God's Word and being unmoved from your position of faith make you stronger on every other line.
Often God delays purposely, and the delay is just as much an answer to your prayer as is the fulfillment when it comes.
In the lives of all the great Bible characters, God worked thus. Abraham, Moses and Elijah were not great in the beginning, but were made great through the discipline of their faith, and only thus were they fitted for the positions to which God had called them.
For example, in the case of Joseph whom the Lord was training for the throne of Egypt, we read in the Psalms:
"The word of the Lord tried him." It was not the prison life with its hard beds or poor food that tried him, but it was the word God had spoken into his heart in the early years concerning elevation and honor which were greater than his brethren were to receive; it was this which was ever before him, when every step in his career made it seem more and more impossible of fulfillment, until he was there imprisoned, and all in innocence, while others who were perhaps justly incarcerated, were released, and he was left to languish alone.
These were hours that tried his soul, but hours of spiritual growth and development, that, "when his word came" (the word of release), found him fitted for the delicate task of dealing with his wayward brethren, with a love and patience only surpassed by God Himself.
No amount of persecution tries like such experiences as these. When God has spoken of His purpose to do, and yet the days go on and He does not do it, that is truly hard; but it is a discipline of faith that will bring us into a knowledge of God which would otherwise be impossible.
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The discipline of faith is an element of faith not very many consider and even fewer adequately execute, yet, it carries great efficacy. Many speak of the tenacity of faith, that inexorable force that refuses not to believe. I have heard many speak of the patience required in faith, the ability to remain centered in your belief despite delay. The courage of faith to dare to believe the impossible is an often discussed, though less executed element of faith. Yes, faith and its multitudinous elements are often discussed, but rarely does anyone discuss the discipline of faith. Discipline is that element of faith that under-girds the other elements.
The discipline of faith considers the promise of God and determines the course of action. It is the discipline of faith that reinforces patience during delay. Patience is not simply waiting, but waiting effectively, which means that delay has not produced despair, nor has it created any deviation from the appointed path. In other words, discipline of faith requires you to remain centered and focused.
The discipline of faith rests in the promise and purpose associated with the life of the believer. This element of faith refuses to be moved in any direction other than that laid out by God. It is not fancied in addressing perceived wrongs, because it recognizes that as distraction. Discipline in faith reinforces your stance, it considers only one thing, that which God has promised. Discipline steadies the vessel when waves of uncertainty begin to crash against the bow. Discipline of faith holds the heart in place when it would otherwise faint from the weariness of promises unfilled.
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| Dr. Rick Wallace |
The discipline of faith tightens the reigns of expectation and anticipation; it refuses to allow you to consider that which is contrary to its hope.
So as you travel through the storms of life and you can find nothing that resembles the promise or the vision that once seemed so vivid, settle under the discipline of faith and know that the promises are not laden with expiration dates. Though it tarries, wait. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace
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