Understanding Faith Part 4: Patience and the presence of the Lord

February 16, 2010

By Rodney Kirkpatrick

¹Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Let us quickly review what we've already discussed about three parts that make up much of the "substance" of the foundation of faith referred to in Hebrews 6:2:

1) Faith is about being vulnerable and trusting Him with our lives (Hebrews 11:6)

2) Faith is based on the proceeding word of the Lord (Romans 10:17)

3) Faith requires us to act when the Lord tells us to (James 1:22)

While these are key elements, true faith will also rest on "the conviction" of the Holy Spirit in a particular situation. Normally this means we have to wait on the Lord in one of two ways to see the fulfillment of what we know He wants to bring to pass.

We can have the ability to do something, but need patience from the Holy Spirit to do it in the most effective manner. This was very often the case in the Lord Jesus's ministry on earth and the example of Lazarus being raised from the dead is a case study on the matter(see John 11). When Jesus was confronted with terrible news about the sickness of someone He cared for, he could have instantly spoken a word and healed him like He did for the centurion (see Matt 8). While this would have been a good thing, it would have fallen short of the full blessing that God intended in this instance. By being patient, Jesus managed to train His disciples (see John 11:14-15), Lazarus was raised from the dead (see John 11:43-44), and many came to know Him (see John 11:45). Waiting on the Lord often brings the clarity and strength to accomplish the task He sets before us.

Secondly, we have to understand that we are dependant on the presence of the Lord regardless of the principals we understand. Jesus teaches us this in John 15:5 (NASB) which says,

⁵"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."

This is most often a problem with our faith when we fail to recognize the difference between what is generally true and the proceeding word of the Lord for the situation (see Mt 4:4). While the Lord has generally made a promise for healing for the sick, the Holy Spirit's intention is not healing the sick at every gathering. Jesus heart breaks for the lost, but sometimes he mandates teaching in gatherings that a person who isn't a Christian wouldn't understand.

Hebrews 6:2 clearly links "repentance from dead works" and "faith toward God." As soon as we forsake either the Holy Spirit's call for patience or the particular leading of His presence we stop operating in faith and begin wasting our time with dead works. A mechanical, formulaic "faith" can turn into exactly the same type of legalism that plagued the "prayers" of the Pharisee. We must be very careful that the application of any particular aspect of truth fosters a deeper relationship with The Truth, Jesus Christ.