Philippians 1:6 says “The good work He began He will complete.”
This is so encouraging and true! We are all on a journey of being conformed into the image and likeness of Christ. In character and in power. We are stepping into our purpose to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, we are all on the journey of walking out our assignment to make disciples, and we are all on a journey of receiving the unique prophetic promises we individually have. It is a journey. Sometimes it feels like a big gap of where we are and where we are supposed to be. But He will complete the work He began in us. He is so committed to it because it is His idea!
Hebrews 12:2 says “Looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.”
He is the author and finisher of our faith. We aren’t. He is. This encourages me. We can be encouraged because He is the one who does the work and he will complete it.
1 Peter 5:10 says “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”
He Himself will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. He will fulfill the promises! He is conforming us. He will fulfill all the work: Our purpose, our assignment, and calling. We can take heart and be encouraged!
James 1:2-4 says “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Consider it all joy! All the trial is for a purpose. The testing of our faith produces endurance and endurance causes us to be perfect and complete (lacking nothing). It serves us in the journey into our purpose, assignment, and promised calling.
“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5
Trials produce Jesus in us! There is such a great reward produced in us as we endure through trials.
God will complete the good work He began in us. God never leaves a project half done. He always completes what He starts. We can relax and rest assured that God is at work in our life and He will finish what He started in us. He is a master builder. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He intends to fulfill all the promises over our life. If they haven’t come to pass or haven’t been completed then He isn’t done yet.
Even in apparent stillness and silence God is working and moving on our behalf. He is committed to our future and to our destiny. While He will complete what He started, He is never rushed or in a hurry. He takes his time to make beautiful things. He does the work! We rest and receive what He promises!
“Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him.” Psalms 105:19
The very thing God uses to test us is the Word He has spoken and promised. In the delay. In the “until” there is a testing. The stillness and silence works in us.
The process of waiting refines our trust and Purifies our character. We come into a deeper trust in Him and greater likeness of Him. He is totally committed to the work he is doing.
Take the Empire State Building as an example. The plans for it only took 2 weeks to draw up, but it took over a year to build. Sometimes God will give you a glimpse of the plans He has drawn up for your life, but the actual building process to get to what He has shown you will always take time.
He shows us the blue prints for our life from the word of God and prophetic insight. He shows us our purpose to be bear His image. He shows us our assignment to preach the Gospel and make disciples. He also gives us prophetic promises that are unique for us individually. But there is a process of building! He takes His time to produce it in us. It can be frustrating and discouraging in the waiting. But God is committed to complete what He begins.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the Empire State Building was designed from the top down. But you can’t build that way. You always have to start with the foundation and work from the bottom up. God delights to reveal to us the completed picture of what He desires for our life. He has given us the blueprint! Jesus! If we have seen him w have seen the father. He is our prototype. This is who we are supposed to become. Our purpose to bear His likeness. Our assignment to make Him known. Our unique calling revealed through prophetic promise. He has already shown us the vision of the completed work and He will manifest it. He gives us a joy for what is set before us. He does this so that we have vision to endure the hard times. Vision always gives pain a purpose. If we can see the end in the beginning then we can be carried through the trials and hardships that are in-between. Vision to see what He intends for us to become, will give our growth pains purpose.
Hebrews 11:11 says “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.”
We receive the ability to conceive the promise as we consider Hum faithful who had promised. We see the promise and we will step into it because of His faithfulness!
“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Hebrews 6:11-12
As we are diligent in endurance in the trial we come into the full assurance of hope! We are called to imitate those who through faith AND patience inherited the promises!
Faith “AND” patience.
Abraham and all the fathers and mothers of faith experienced the hallway between the promise given and the promise fulfilled. The hallway of transition and testing.
In the hallway there is waiting. There is an endurance that comes. A faith and patience that grows in the soil of the perseverance (waiting with joy).
In Genesis 15 God promised Abraham that he and Sarah would bear a son and have descendants like the stars. He was 75 years old. In Genesis 16 Abraham produced Ishmael. He was 86 years old. In Genesis 21 Abraham and Sarah received Isaac. He was 100 years old.
Between the promise given and the promise fulfilled there was 25 year hallway of faith and patience that Abraham and Sarah walked through.
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30
In the waiting and the building (in the hallway) God causes all things to work together for good. When we know our purpose everything becomes a means to it. Everything works out for the good of us.
Suffering and trail doesn’t have purpose if we don’t have vision of where we are going. Knowing our purpose and assignment gives pain a purpose. If we don’t know our purpose we won’t embrace endurance in the midst of trials and suffering.
Knowing our purpose, assignment, and calling is directly connected to us embracing the hallway and seeing it all work for our good.
Always remember that God will complete what He started in you and He is faithful to fulfill what He promises. Let patience have its perfect work! Don’t quiet! God is working in your life. He is working on your behalf.
He shows us the completed image that he desires! He will close the gap between who we are and who we are to be.
Two things to help you Rest in His faithfulness in the hallway:
One: Review the promises (don’t lose sight of what He promised! Keep His promise at the forefront of your vision. In the midst of the waiting it can be easy to settle or get distracted. We often deduct the promise down due to discouragement and disappointment. But when we review the promises it calls us higher in hope and perspective.)
Two: Remember the testimonies (In the hallway it can be easy to lose sight of His character and nature. To waver in trust. When there is hope deferred we can get sick in heart. But psalms 100 and psalms 23 show us His Goodness and mercy follows us! Joshua 1 says there are memorial stones of His goodness and mercy that we can look at to reference His character and nature. Revelation says The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. So when we remember the testimony we actually gain faith to see it happen again! In the midst of being shaken and wavering we can stand on the testimonies of His goodness and mercy. We find strength to trust today as we look back on His faithfulness of yesterday.)
By Micah Level