I love surfing, but I’m not very good at it. I’ve only done it in really cold water, maybe that’s why. If you’ve never surfed, let me give you the most amateur possible synopsis.
You pull your board out till the water’s getting kind of high. You climb onto it, lay down, and paddle out further, till you reach the swell, where you want to catch the wave, kind of as it’s breaking. You wait for a good wave, the whole time having to fight and paddle to maintain your position. Good surfers don’t look like they are fighting anything. I don’t know how they do that. By this time, my arms are usually pretty tired. When you see a wave coming, you start to paddle before it reaches you, so it can catch you.
Note: everything up till this point has been basically miserable, unless you’re one of those “good surfers.”
Then it catches you, and it’s AWESOME. Even if the wave’s dwippy and cold, which is really the only kind I’ve ever ridden. And even if, like me, your arms are too tired from fighting the water to push you up onto your feet, and you just look like a dork on your knees with a big smile on your beet-red face. Still, AWESOME.
I have a point to make, which I may have ruined by distracting you through the mental images of my awkwardness, but pretend that the above was a really beautiful description of the glory of the sport, written by a “good surfer.” The essence of the task is still the same, except that you actually can do all sorts of cool things once you’re, you know, surfing.
Here’s my point: faith is like surfing. You know something’s coming, so you do a whole lot of work to be ready when it comes, and when it does, you just ride. All the power’s come from something outside of you, and you just positioned yourself to catch it.
Most people live in unbelief most of the time, and then, when a wave hits them and they’re tumbling around under it, try to rise up in faith and overcome. When the devastating illness hits, the divorce is under discussion, the child is diagnosed. At that moment, they work really hard to manifest “faith,” praying desperately for the desired outcome. And then, the crushing disappointment. The healing didn’t happen, the deliverance didn’t come, the request was not granted. Disillusionment. Why didn’t God answer the prayer of faith?
But here’s a secret about faith: it’s in the paddling, not the wave. When we face a moment of trial that requires great faith, the Biblical plan doesn’t say that’s the time to strain and groan and produce powerful prayers that move heaven. We live at all times believing or we don’t. If somebody tells you you’re going to win an Olympic medal, if you believe them, you don’t start practicing your platform mount, you start practicing your sport. Over and over and over, until you ARE a champion.
If you believe the Lord Jesus, you live obeying Him. ”If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” JN 14:23 So, if my faith level is such that I live a life that would essentially look the same whether or not God exists (self-sufficient and natural), there’s a whole lot of unbelief. If I am not concerned enough to hunt scripture to find out what these all-important commands of Jesus are, the ones for which I’ll be held accountable before His throne, I don’t really believe all that much. If I live in bitterness, unforgiveness, and anger, when Jesus said to love my enemies, I just don’t believe. If I live storing up treasure for a comfy life here on earth mostly unconcerned about what fruit I’ll present from it, I have very, very little faith. I’m not paddling.
So when the wave comes, and it’s a time of perceived need, the Christian tries to rise up with faith for the miracle. They’re desperately trying to plant the mustard seed faith in the ground, water it, and make it grow into a giant tree that can harbor the birds…ALL IN A DAY. Mat 13:31-32
The Lord loves us so much, He works in those times, hears those prayers, and even often answers them! He is not seeking to disqualify us. No, He is seeking to qualify us the way a coach would qualify His Olympic athlete…through steady training day in and day out, challenges fit to the level of development, and strategic building up of weak areas.
So when the huge decision arises and the believer tries to “hear the Lord” for direction, the question is, “Did you believe that you needed to ‘live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God’ and live desperate for the voice of the Lord from day to day?” Because if so, you’ve paddled, and when that moment brings a big wave, you find yourself lifted up and exhilarated, riding His power, hearing His voice, seeing Him come through. If not, it feels like a crap-shoot instead of standing on a Rock…am I hearing God? Which voice is His? Will He come through? That’s not the FAther’s will for His kids!
His character is not such that He hides Himself in the desperate, painful hour, snickering at us in our bewilderment. He is a good Father. He has made Himself clear in His word, offering everything we need. He does respond to faith. But when we do not live obeying, we can be sure that we do not fully believe. And when a big moment comes and we try to believe even though we don’t, it just doesn’t carry alot of authority.
So…the Father’s plan is this: Paddle, paddle, paddle. If we really believe, we’ll do the hard work of learning His commands, and doing them. We’ll exercise our muscles not in great exploits, but in the hours of training, through submissive obedience to His Word and His Spirit. Then, when the exploit moment comes, we catch that wave and just ride, knowing all the power is His.
Here’s a scripture:
But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Heb 5:14
