“For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.”
Hebrews 3:14 NLT
When we don’t see the answers we are looking for right away we can begin to wonder. It’s easy to begin to doubt when we don’t see change right away. We may begin to question God when we don’t think he’s listening to our prayers. We may have the tendency to throw the towel in if we keep asking without results. But, what does God tell us to do?
In Hebrews 3:14 we see that when we have faith to the end, trusting God like when we first believed, we will get all the Jesus has. What does Jesus have? I can’t count or list all that we will receive with Christ but I can name a couple big ones.
First of all, he shares a throne with God, in heaven (Ephesians 1:20). He has the power to perform miracles and hand out blessings and he says we will do greater works than he (John 14:12). Another would be the power to resist the devil (James 4:7). Lastly, we get to share God by abiding in Jesus and him in us (John 15:4).
By having faith and trusting God we get to spend eternity in heaven. We get to witness, call, and perform greater works than Jesus did, which we read about in the New Testament. We get the living power to resist temptation and the evil one while we are on this earth. And lastly, since God lives in Jesus, and we invite Jesus to live in us, we get to tap into all that God has to offer us, unlimited, anytime, anywhere!
What’s the catch you may ask? You’ve tried and it doesn’t seem to turn out this easy? Just go back to Hebrews 3:14. We must keep believing, trust God, and stay faithful to the end, just as firmly as when we started believed.
For example, take my story for instance. Sept. 22nd, 2018. Pasadena Rodeo, horse has just flipped on me. I can’t feel my legs and no matter how hard I try to move them they won’t move. My back is broke at t9 and t10 and my spinal cord is damaged leaving me paralyzed from the waist down. I prayed right there, believing for a miracle. I believed I would wake up the next morning and be healed. That night I believed full heartedly that I would walk out of the hospital.
The next morning I wake up. 5 hours of surgery later. Rods and screws put in my back. Fused from t8-t12. Still can’t feel or move my legs. I keep praying and believing. Now I believe in the first 3 months I’m going to walk. 3 months go by. Still hardly any movement.
I start praying and believing in 6 months I will walk. I rehab extensively everyday. 3-5 hours a day 5 days a week. Visualize moving. Visualize walking. Visualize running with my kid. Visualize riding. Sept. 22nd rolls around. I jump a level on all my tests but I’m still bound to this chair. I’m unable to lock my knees and stand on my own yet. I can’t bare my own weight yet. I can crawl but other than that I can hardly move or control any leg movements yet.
It starts to wear on me. Am I ever going to get what I asked for that very first instance after my wreck? Is the hard work I’m doing going to have any results? Here it has been almost 1 ½ years and I’m still trying. Still looking for alternative medicine. Still trying to have an ear to hear God’s calling on my life. Still listening for his guidance on where to go.
I’ve battled wondering. I’ve doubted. I’ve struggled with questioning. There’s been days I wanted to throw the towel in and just get used to life in a chair, move on, and figure out what’s next.
But that’s not the cowboy in me. I still have this burning desire to keep going. Knowing that we receive what we ask for (Matthew 7:7). Knowing that the best is yet to come (Jeremiah 29:11). Knowing that my breakthrough is right around the corner (Psalms 116:1-2).
I’ve decided no matter what I am going to keep believing. Keep trying. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. And keep asking. Sure, some days are hard. That’s alright. We are only human. But, by believing and keeping our faith we have access to a God that is far bigger than our problems. He loves us enough to call us his sons and daughters. No matter how big or how small he wants to be apart of it. And, he wants to give us the miracle we are asking for.
All we have to do is remember how much we believed the very first time we asked. No doubts. No wonders. Full hearted faithfulness. Trusting in God’s timing not our own. And hold on to this belief and trust with firmness until the end.
No matter what we see or don’t see. Hear or don’t hear. Keep your eyes on God. Hold on to your faith, trust, and keep believing knowing that you are going to get your breakthrough!
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT
““What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.””
Mark 9:23 NLT
