Digging Deeper – Faith Over Time

We talked yesterday about Abraham’s relationship with God and his communication with Him. Today, we’ll look at a different aspect of that relationship. The keyword is relationship. Abraham didn’t view God as just a force in his life, nor did he see God as a vending machine into which he deposited worship and then received whatever he desired. God was a living personality with whom Abraham interacted on a daily basis.

Eugene Peterson, in his book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, summed up the way many people think about faith today:

“Too often we think of religion as a far-off, mysteriously run bureaucracy to which we apply for assistance when we feel the need. We go to a local branch office and direct the clerk (sometimes called a pastor) to fill out our order for God. Then we go home and wait for God to be delivered to us according to the specifications that we have set down. But that is not the way it works. And if we thought about it for two consecutive minutes, we would not want it to work that way.”

We want God on our terms and our timeline. When He doesn’t present Himself that way or fails to meet our deadlines, we question what He’s up to. In relationships, that kind of behavior—though common—is not healthy. We often judge others’ actions (including God’s) and assign motives to those actions. The irony is that we don’t judge ourselves that way. We look at our own motives and use them to justify our actions, however wrong they may be. We say things like, “I didn’t mean to,” as if good intentions erase the impact our actions have on others.

Throughout the Bible, we see people questioning God. When Job questioned God’s motive behind his suffering, God responded, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2)—essentially saying, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” In Isaiah, God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 55:8), reminding us that His motives are often beyond our understanding.

With Abraham, we see someone willing to trust that God is doing the right thing even when he doesn’t understand it. He trusts when God tells him to move. He trusts when God promises him a son. He even trusts when God asks him to place that son on an altar. Abraham trusted God on God’s terms. When things didn’t make sense, he looked back at years of God’s faithfulness. That kind of faith doesn’t arrive overnight like a Prime delivery—it takes time and work, just like any lasting relationship.

Healthy relationships are not built in a moment but over time. Abraham saw that his obedience continually led him back to God’s faithfulness. Take a moment to examine your own life. Is the same true for you? Can you see times when your obedience to God has been met with His faithfulness? Is there an area where you’re questioning whether God has your best interests in mind? Go to Him and tell Him.