Expect the Miracle

Walking with Jesus is a lifelong journey — with so many ups and "downs" that are the true tests of our faith. I put "downs" in quotation marks because they are the necessary times God uses to bring us up. Without them, you wouldn't be where you are. So you were never really down. You were being prepared. That's exactly why we can "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."(Romans 5:3–4)

But I want to speak to the person who has been hoping and praying — for months, years, or even decades.

To expect the miracle.

We pray so many prayers over so many seasons. Our heart's desires. For healing. For mercy. For forgiveness. For deliverance. For the state of the world. In our times of need. But what happens when you've been asking to be healed for years? When you've been praying for a breakthrough for years, and you're not seeing any change or any results?

Do you pivot and just say God has a different plan? And then call it mature belief to silently give up on the inside? To let that fire die down and tell yourself, "not for me"? To give up on the hopes and dreams God planned for you — not all at once, but slowly, because you can't see a way with your own two eyes?

I don't know who needs to hear this and feel that belief again, but — expect the miracle. After 10 years. 20 years. 30 years. 40 years. Expect it.

Know that you're not alone, and that the Bible is full of examples of this: a promise and a dream, followed by an extended waiting period of trials and tribulations. Three I want to bring up are Abraham, David, and Jacob.

Abraham was told he would be the father of many nations, that his descendants would be as many as the stars in the sky. His wife was barren and couldn't give birth. He faced a long journey without knowing the way to the promised land. He had to leave familiar ground to go into the unknown. And he was even asked to sacrifice his son Isaac.

David was anointed to be king as a boy — and didn't take the throne for years. He had to face Goliath. Run from Saul. Endure persecution from surrounding nations.

Jacob was told to get a wife from his father's house. He worked seven years for the wife he was called to marry — then was deceived into marrying her older sister, and worked another seven years for Rachel.

All of these stories show the same shape: the promise, then the trials and tribulations — and then a deep sense of purpose and an outcome far greater than the wait.

Abraham did make it to the land of Canaan and fulfilled God's promise.

David did become king — and Jesus descended from his line, fulfilling prophecy.

Jacob did marry Rachel, had his name changed to Israel, and the twelve sons born to him became the twelve tribes of Israel.

So you're not only suffering for yourself — you're suffering for things so much greater than you in the plan of God. You may not see it with your own two eyes. This is why "we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7) This is why we "trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)

The perfecting of our faith comes through trials and tribulations. The book of Hebrews gives us the definition of faith: "Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1) That whole chapter — which I encourage you to read after this — speaks on the faith that makes miracles happen. The examples I gave are proof that a waiting period doesn't discredit God's promise over your life. Some would even argue that the longer the wait, the bigger the blessing (something I'll write about too).

One thing I will tell you is that the preparation in the wait is key. Many people quote the book of James — that faith without works is dead. But I've watched people confuse the work they're actually called to do. We pray, and we have faith, and we just expect things to happen. But what about the work God is perfecting on the inside of us?

We pray for deliverance, but run back to our past. We pray for opportunities, but won't let God make us into people who can steward them. Then we watch other people receive the blessings we wanted, and we get jealous — coveting what they have without knowing or understanding the warfare they went through to get it. And remember: not every "blessing" is truly from God. So we'll see people receive things while living in sin, and wonder why we don't have those things ourselves. That's not the standard to measure yourself against.

Don't skip to the outcome. Let God mold and shape you while your faith is being perfected. Know that you are healed. You are set free. You are delivered — from any stronghold, from any physical pain, from all of it — through the blood of Jesus.

So don't worry if it's been 10, 20, 30 years. God hasn't forgotten. So I hope you haven't either. The promise is still there.

Expect the miracle.

-Isaiah Abraham