"The Story Behind the Glory"

This chapter is about what happens between the promise and the fulfillment of that process and why God allows the wait. Think about this...

"If all God wanted to do was get right to the happy ending,

you'd be in heaven right now." (p.196)

That's a pretty good indicator that God has something else planned. Review the story of Elijah after the great victory over the prophets of Baal. He prophesied that it would rain, then went to the mountain to wait for it. He sent his servant to the sea shore to look for signs of rain. Six times. No sign of rain, not even the tiniest cloud. Elijah didn't give up. He kept praying. The seventh time the servant saw a tiny cloud - tangible confirmation that God would fulfill his promise. 

It wasn't God's fulfillment of his promise that built Elijah's faith. It was the waiting and seeking between the promise and the fulfillment that did it. 

It's like that with us isn't it? If every prayer we prayed was instantly answered exactly as we wanted we would never seek, never question, never know the blessing of finding a deeper walk with God. 

Steven says:  

"The process is a time of strengthening. The process is the place where 

you lay down your pride and learn to rely totally on God. Most importantly,

the process is the way we grow to know God. And that's really 

the whole point." (p.195)

It is the whole point, isn't it? We must never lose sight of the relationship in our pursuit of the answer to prayer. After all, prayer is communication with God. Communication is a necessary factor in relationships, and our relationship with God is what changes us, heals us, redeems us, and sweeps us into His grand plan for the world. 

What concerns have you brought to the Lord in prayer that have not yet been resolved? Instead of letting this discourage you, ask God what he wants to teach you. Ask him to give you a deeper understanding of who he is and let that be a treasure for you to cling to as you wait for him to fulfill his promise to you. And he will do that. He has to be true to his own nature and he always, always keeps his promises. 


The book is SUN STAND STILL: What happens when you dare to ask God for the impossible, by Steven Furtick. Tomorrow wraps up our review of this book. I hope you'll come back and share with us.