"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." (Proverbs 13:12 NIV).

Our modern world is known for its pragmatism. If something works then it can be trusted. If it doesn't work, it cannot. What matters is results. The goods that are promised must be delivered on schedule. We mistakenly assume that this applies to all matters of life. This makes us very impatient when it comes to experiencing the promises of God.

You may feel that God has let you down; that He has made a promise that He has not kept. You are not the first to feel that way. Almost all who have received promises from God have been tested by them.

David was told by God's prophet Samuel that he was God's anointed king. And yet years go by and Saul remains on Israel's throne while David is living in a cave in Adullam. Saul and his men are intent on killing him and David spends his days as a fugitive on the run. Later in Ziklag his home is burnt, his family is taken captive by the enemy and his friends want to stone him (1Samuel 30:3-6).

David was so disheartened that he confessed in Psalm 116:11 "In my dismay I said, 'All men are liars.'" He most likely was referring to Samuel who gave him the promise of reigning on the throne in the first place.

God gave Joseph a seemingly impossible dream that his brothers would bow down to him (Genesis 37:7,9). But his life took so many turns for the worse they soon were forgotten. His dreams went through a period of death until God actually performed the promise. The fulfillment of his dreams seemed absolutely impossible. One day while Joseph was governor in Egypt, appointed to sell grain to the people in the time of famine, his brothers suddenly arrive. They bow down to him with their faces to the ground. Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. THEN HE REMEMBERED HIS DREAMS about them....

Don't be discouraged by apparent set backs. God does not fail. Faithful is the one who gives you the promise. He will do it. Through faith and patience we will inherit what has been promised (Hebrews 6:12). The Bible does not teach that God is an errand boy, that prayer is a tool for self-realization, or that the church is a sinless community that will never let you down. He is not in competition with anyone who claims to specialize in 'overnight deliveries'.

Persevere and pioneer in faith. The dream is alive and awaits those who patiently endure.

Holding on,

David MacAdam, Pastor/Teacher
New Life Community Church