“No unbelief or distrust made him [Abraham] waver [doubtingly question] concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God.” Romans 4:20
Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
We all have promises that over time God has sown into our hearts. Often, there is a period of waiting we must endure before we see the fulfillment of those promises. The time between the promises of God and when they are realized is the space where our faith is tested (James 1:2-4). This is when many people get discouraged and give up; they start believing negative thoughts such as: “It will never happen, I must have mistakenly thought this was God,” or, “It’s taking too long. I can’t keep waiting on God.”
God makes promises, and He always fulfills them, but we must learn to walk – and wait – through the process. We want our babies to be born healthy and at the right time, not too early or late, and so does God. “An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end” (Proverbs 20:21). Sometimes, the process will be short, and at other times, it will take years. The purpose of the process is to develop the character, ability, and matured gifting in us so we can carry all that God wants us to have. Graham Cooke said, “It is one thing to get your breakthrough. It is a whole other thing to live your breakthrough.” The process enables us to live out and enjoy all God gives us.
God plants the seed and is faithful to send the rain to cause its growth (1 Corinthians 3:6). Although the seed lies dormant in the ground for a time, it’s still alive and keeps its potential. A pregnant mother can do things to nurture the health and timely birth of the baby in her womb, and we also can partner with the Holy Spirit to support the growth and delivery of all He has sown in our hearts.
Abraham, the father of faith, shows us something we can do to take care of our promises: he thanked God before he saw those promises come true. Despite doubts and unbelief that tried to creep into his mind, Abraham maintained a heart of gratitude. Praise is meant to honor and glorify God, and the effect of praise is that it strengthens our faith to keep believing even when all seems hopeless.
Jesus also revealed that a heart filled with gratitude is a powerful force affecting the promises of God. He gave thanks before some of His greatest miracles manifested (John 6:11, Mark 8:5, and John 11:41). His thanksgiving wasn’t just a fitting act of gratitude: it prepared the way for miracles that would follow. When we express gratefulness to God, we are glorifying Him and acknowledging that God is faithful to His word and that gratitude releases the grace of God over us and His promises to us.
Throughout the day, negative thoughts attempt to get us to abort dreams from God. The old saying fits here, “You can’t stop the birds from flying over, but you can keep them from nesting in your head.” Whenever you’re tempted to worry or give into doubt, let that truth be a reminder to remain grateful.
Let’s take our prayers one step further by allowing the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with gratitude even when we don’t see any sign of a breakthrough. In the meantime, God’s peace will guard our hearts and mind until we see His promises manifested in our lives (Philippians 4:6-7).
Many Blessings, BW