VF: 10 The Resources of Visionary Faith II

Chapter 10

Resources of Visionary Faith II

Table of Topics

A) God’s Opportunities

B) God’s People

C) God’s Promises

D) Growing in our Faith in God’s Provision

Extras & Endnotes

Primary Points

• Waiting and watching for the opportunities we need to pursue our visionary faith is perhaps the hardest part of seeing it realized. It will be tempting to manipulate things and put yourself forward to create opportunities.
• God makes us wait because we think we are ready for opportunities before God knows we are.
• In the 14 some years between David’s annointing and his reigning God was preparing him in the wilderness for the latter.
• God does not waste our waiting, and neither should we.
• There is no doubt that the accomplishing of your visionary faith will require the help of many people. If your vision does not need others, it is probably a deficient one. God rarely uses a man alone. Not even Jesus.
• Psalm 37 contains one of the most encouraging and powerful promises concerning a visionary faith in all of Scripture.
• God grows our empowering faith in His promises and provision one step at a time.

A) God’s Opportunities

The Apostle Paul was a tremendous Evangelist and uniquely possessed “the Gospel” which “is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16). He also had amazing gifts of knowledge (cf. 2 Cor 11; Eph 3:2-9) and teaching available to grow saints in their faith. And as noted, he was willing and able to sacrificially work extremely hard.

But all the God-given power, abilities, knowledge, and desires the Apostle had, would be useless without God-given opportunities to use them. ^[1] All of our powers, knowledge, and even our visionary faith itself, are for the sake of meeting real needs in the life of real people. There is no such thing as a visionary faith for God that does not somehow connect with people. And usually, God must grant us those connections before we can use abilities, give our knowledge, and fulfill our desires.

Along these lines, the Apostle wrote the Romans:

One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. I long to visit you so I can share a spiritual gift with you that will help you grow strong in the Lord. (Rom 1:10-11)

Having the ability and desire to share a “spiritual gift” was not enough. Paul also needed “God” to be “willing” to provide an “opportunity” to “see” the Roman Christians in order to bless and build them up in some way.

Likewise, the Apostle asked the Colossians to “pray for us, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ” (4:3). Again, it was not enough for the Apostle to have the valuable supernatural knowledge of “the mystery of Christ” but he also needed “a door for [the] message” and an opportunity to expose people to it.

Paul recognized such opportunities for ministry were the work of God. He told the Corinthians “When I came to Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the Lord opened a door of opportunity for me.” (2 Cor 2:12). This is why such opportunities directed his ministry. He wrote, “I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me” (1 Cor 16:9).

Likewise, we often need to wait on God to provide the opportunities we need to see our visionary faith fulfilled. Someone desiring to be an Evangelist, missionary, or church planter can stand on any street corner and preach the Gospel. But “a great door for effective work,” the kind worthy of having you stay and do ministry in that place, must come from God.

A man with gifts of leadership and/or teaching will understandably desire to use those gifts to bless people and glorify God. But he cannot create the opportunity to do so by himself. He cannot create a church. God must give him a church to be faithful with and to grow.

Waiting and watching for the opportunities we need to pursue our visionary faith is perhaps the hardest part of seeing it realized. It will be tempting to manipulate things and put yourself forward to create opportunities.

This is where the encouragements and promises regarding humility and faithfulness discussed in the previous chapter will be tested. It is when we are waiting that we must remember to: “Humble yourselves under God’s caring power so that He will exalt you at the right time.” (1 Pet 5:6) and “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt 23:12). Do you want opportunities that you can create and force for yourself, or do you want the kind of opportunities that only God can give you? He gives them to those who are willing to wait on Him.

We must humble ourselves under God-ordained authority in the church that we respect and trust, and allow God to work through them to grant those opportunities. We must be faithful with the ministry and responsibility that God has already given us. We must hold on to those promises about humility and faithfulness, trusting God to work in and around us to prepare both us and others for our ministry.

Speaking to His people held captive in Babylon, God gave them a rather famous promise about waiting through the Prophet Isaiah. First, He acknowledges their concerns.

Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? (Isa 40:27)

Do we not feel this way at times? Especially in our pursuit of a visionary faith to do something for God? It may seem our life and “cause” is too insignificant to God, and therefore “hidden” and “disregarded” by Him. It may seem like He is not helping us. The obstacles to even having the opportunity to do what we want to do for God, may seem even bigger than God Himself. And because the need seems so great, but our opportunity to help so far away, we are tempted to question whether God is in control, or cares, or knows the situation. God answers:

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the Earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.(v. 28)

Of course there is no obstacle to our visionary faith that is too difficult for God. He created the Universe. And His understanding of our circumstances, desires, concerns, and the right timing to intervene is infinite. As one commentator explained this verse: “God’s people were to know that His understanding possessed infallible wisdom for determining the right point of time at which to interpose with His aid.” ^[2] Another commentator writes:

This verse is designed to reprove the people for their want of confidence in God. The idea is, ‘If God is so great; if he arranges the hosts of heaven with such unerring skill, causing all the stars to observe their proper place and their exact times, the interests of his people are safe in his hands.’ . . . .

To furnish an argument to meet this state of despondency, the prophet sets before them this sublime description of the faithfulness and the power of God. ^[3]

Indeed, our times of waiting will test our trust in God and confidence in His care and power. David said: “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving” (Ps 62:11-12). We must never waver in our absolute confidence of these two things while we wait.

The passage in Isaiah encouraging waiting on God continues:

He gives strength to the weary, and to those who lack power He increases their power. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. Yet those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength; They will rise up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary. (Isa 40:27-31)

Do you see the reason God has us wait? It is only “those who wait for the LORD [who] will renew their strength.” God wants to increase our strength so that we may soar, run, and walk in ministry and “not become weary.” As we have described in a previous chapter, fulfilling a vision for God requires a great deal of endurance and hard work. We think we are ready before God knows we are. “Youths” think they are ready to do for God what they desire, but if they will not wait for God to give them more power and wisdom, they will “grow tired and weary” and even “young men stumble and fall” if they are not prepared. We need more power, character, and wisdom than we usually think we do in order to accomplish our visionary faith. But God knows what will be needed and He wants to provide us with it.

Along these lines, John Ortberg writes in reference to Romans 5:3-4: “our troubles produce endurance, endurance produces proven character, and character produces hope”:

Paul says that while we are waiting for God to set everything right, we suffer. But suffering produces endurance; endurance, character; and character, hope. God is producing these qualities in us as we wait.

Waiting is not just something we have to do while we get what we want. It is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be. . . . We forget that his work in us while we wait is as important as what it is we think we are waiting for. . . .

Waiting is, by its nature, something only the humble can do with grace. When we wait for something, we recognize that we’re not in control. . . . Waiting is a good thing for people like me. It reminds me that I am not in charge. Waiting humbles me in ways I need to be humbled. . . .

We are not just waiting around, we are waiting on God. Therefore we can trust his wisdom and timing. Because waiting reminds us that we are waiting for someone, the single most important activity in waiting is prayer. ^[4]

While we are waiting God is preparing us. He is increasing the power of the Spirit in us, by maturing us in the virtues and developing our gifts. That waiting may occur in a wilderness as described in a previous chapter. It may simply mean waiting.

Remember Saul who would not wait as he was instructed because he was afraid and “felt compelled” not to wait (cf. 1 Sam 13:7-12). Samuel’s response may be applicable to anyone who will not wait on God as instructed:

Samuel said, ‘You acted like a fool. You have not obeyed the command the LORD your God gave you. If you had obeyed and waited, He would have established your rule over Israel forever. But now your kingdom will not endure. The LORD has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people, because you have not obeyed the LORD’S command’ (1 Sam 13:13-14)

Contrast Saul’s refusal to wait on God with the man God chose to replace him. David was annointed king as a youth, probably no more than 16 years of age (cf. 1 Sam 16:8-12). He did not become king until age 30 (cf. 2 Sam 5:4). What was he doing in the 14 some years in between? He was in the wilderness waiting. He was in the wilderness being prepared for what he was annointed to be. And while he was waiting, God was developing in him the humility, courage, and faith David would need to be a great king.

God does not waste our waiting, and neither should we. There are often many things for us to do in preparation for whatever opportunities God may give for us to serve Him. So there will probably be work to do while we are waiting, including of course being faithful with what God has already given us. But God knows the waiting itself does all sorts of things in our life to prepare us to be holy, mature, strong, and wise enough to make the most of the opportunities He will give us.

B) God’s People

There is no doubt that the accomplishing of your visionary faith will require the help of many people. You will need people to provide finances, different spiritual gifts, and works of service. If your vision does not need others, it is probably a deficient one.

Notice in our central text from 2 Thessalonians that Paul is addressing a congregation- not a person. All of the references to “you” are in the plural in Greek. Whatever they were going to do for God, He wanted them to do it together:

Because of the return of Christ, we always pray that God will think you [together] have lived up to His commanding invitation to experience your special privilege and responsibility as a Christian. We pray that through His power you [together] will accomplish any passionate resolve to do good, and every action prompted your faith [together]. (2 Thess 1:11-12)

God rarely uses a man alone. Even Noah had his sons. And not even Jesus worked alone, but purposely invited 12 men to join Him in serving God together. In a prayer to the Father, Jesus referred to those men as “those You have given Me” (John 17:9). Jesus understood that God had provided those men in order that He would accomplish His task on Earth of starting the Church.

Likewise, we read of David: “These were the chiefs of David’s mighty men. They, together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land” (1 Chron 1:11; 2 Sam 23:8-39). David needed fighting men to accomplish God’s work for Him, and that is what God gave him. They were such extraordinarily gifted and valiant warriors that they are described in Scripture as “mighty men,” but they were David’s “mighty men,” given to him by God to give “his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land.” David could not have accomplished what he did without them. Neither will you.

C) God’s Promises

We have said from the beginning that visionary faith is a very challenging aspect of faith because there is so much uncertainty involved. We often do not have a specific command in Scripture for the very specific thing we want to do for God. And we normally do not have a specific biblical promise that our human plans to obey God’s commands will succeed. Certainly none that are unconditional.

However, we have noted several wonderful promises regarding both the requirements and resources needed to fulfill a visionary faith including those regarding our hard work, humility, and holiness, and God’s protection, provision, and power. Claim these and find many more for yourself. There is great power in God’s promises.

A portion of Scripture that seems to summarize much of what we have discussed in the last two chapters is Psalm 37. David exhorts us in several requirements we have suggested for fulfilling a visionary faith:

Do not burn with anger because of evildoers; or be jealous of men who do wrong. . . . Trust in the LORD and do good. Dwell in the land and practice faithfulness. . . . . Delight yourself in the Lord . . . Commit your way to the Lord. . . . Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him (vs. 1, 3-5, 7).

These are the conditions of the tremendous promises David encourages us to embrace. These wonderful promises are:

The Lord . . . will give you the desires of your heart. . . . He will do this: He will bring forth your rightness like the light, the vindication of your cause like the noonday sun. (vs. 4, 6) ^[5]

That is one of the most encouraging and powerful promises concerning a visionary faith in all of Scripture. Isn’t this what we yearn for? For God to give us our deepest desires for Him? That we would accomplish all that we desire for our God? That others would see the importance of our ministry as much as we do and support it?

D) Growing in our Faith in God’s Provision

God grows our faith in His promises and provision one step at a time. Such faith is based on evidence from life experience. ^[6] Why did David have faith that God would help him kill Goliath? Because God had helped him previously kill a lion and a bear (cf. 1 Sam 17:34-37).

We too need to remember God’s provision in the past so that we can have the faith we need in the present and for the future. Is God’s protection over you and your family already obvious? When has He seemed to provide supernatural power and strength? When has He provided needed opportunities and people? These are the things that build our faith.

Extras & Endnotes

Devotion to Dad

Our Father in Heaven we are so grateful that You are willing to provide everything we need to do Your will. Help us to wait on You for the opportunities, finances, and people necessary to see Your Kingdom advanced in the world.

Gauging Your Grasp

1. Why is waiting for the opportunities we need to pursue our visionary faith perhaps the hardest part of seeing it realized? What convictions and promises can help us wait?

2) Why does God want to involve other people in accomplishing our visionary faith?

3) How does God grow our empowering faith in His promises and provision?

Pastoral Practices

• As noted, it is vital that you have your own promises from God concerning your visionary faith. Be careful not to take them out of their context in Scripture, and recognize that many of them will be conditional. But find them, meditate on them, trust them, and be empowered by them.

Publications & Particulars

1. John MacArthur speaks of the importance of God-given opportunities when he writes:

   Even if a man has outstanding character and an outstanding calling, he must also have opportunity in order to reach the potential of his greatness.  John the Baptist entered the scene of history at precisely the right time—according to God’s own plan, prediction, and provision. After 400 years with no word from the Lord, Israel was expectant; and until Jesus began His own ministry, John was the focal point of redemptive history. (MacArthur’s New Testament Commentary, Electronic Edition STEP Files CD-ROM [Parsons Technology, 1997], Matt 11:12-14) ↑

2. C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Electronic Edition STEP Files CD-ROM (Findex.com, 2000), Ps 37:28. ↑

3. Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, Electronic Edition STEP Files CD-ROM (Findex.Com, 1999). ↑

4. Ortberg, 179-81, 183. ↑

5. The Hebrew tsedeq means rightness even accuracy (cf. Job 31:6). NAS Hebrew & Greek Dictionaries, Robert L. Thomas ed., Electronic Edition, Parsons Technology (Lockman Foundation, 1998) ↑

6. Regarding the growth of our faith through life experience see section 6.7.C and 6.18.D. ↑