Faith, as defined in Hebrews 11:1, is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In other words, you know it has happened though it is not visible to the eye.

This is because you have the substance or evidence in the word of God. You believe it because God said it. Normally, the nature of faith calls for perseverance. You are compelled to wait, to hope and expect the delivery of your expectation. If you are hasty or always in a hurry, you cannot walk with God in faith. This is because “whoever believes will not act hastily” Isaiah 28:16.

Unfortunately, we live in a rapid age.  There are some people that want things to happen fast and there are also some people who believe that if things aren’t happening quick in their life, it’s probably because they may not be smart. This mentality is depriving us of getting God’s best for our lives.

God is not slow but it takes a great deal of time for us to fully align with His plans and purpose for our lives. It takes time to fully develop the capacity required to receive what we are expecting from Him.

At the time of desperation, we are often not ready for what we are praying for. Our character, habits and lifestyle cannot accommodate the blessings we are seeking. Hence, God is compelled to withhold the blessing while He works on our character defects. This is why the seeming sluggishness or delay of God is actually the sluggishness on our part to grow up; to mature and develop the required understanding that we need to operate in the blessings of God.

His divine power has already supplied everything we need to live a good and godly life 2 Peter 1:3. All we need to do is grow up into these things in order to enjoy them.

One unique story of faith and perseverance is that of Zacharias and Elizabeth. The Scripture made it clear that “they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” Luke 1:6. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years Luke 1:7.

Zacharias and Elizabeth’s story immediately debunks that paradigm that one is evil if things aren’t going well with you. Both were righteous before God but they had no child.  But they eventually had John, the forerunner of Jesus at a time judged by man as late. Now, this is God’s wisdom – there was no way John will go before Jesus and prepare His way if he had been born in the first year of Zacharias and Elizabeth’s marriage.  It seems that in God’s eternal plan, John was destined to prepare Jesus’ way and was meant to come through Zacharias and Elizabeth and all these were timed in God’s program. While they were preoccupied with having a child and getting rid of the reproach, God was watching the timing of His purpose for their lives.  In the process, they learned, they grew, they understood and persevered until God came through.

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