Deliverance

“Deliverance.. sometimes it’s instantaneous; sometimes it’s gradual,” we heard Sunday.

Why, I wonder? Why isn’t it always instantaneous? Is it lack of faith, is it because of disobedience, is it because we didn’t pray hard enough and long enough? Why is deliverance from a besetting sin or inner stronghold frequently so long in coming? Why does it take so long to unravel the tangles in relationships and find the solutions for head-scratching dilemmas? Maybe it’s because…

 God wants us to see, through repeated failures, that there is no other Source of deliverance. We never would have pulled it off!
 God wants to build a firm foundation of faith in Him as we walk through this problem together.
 He wants to us to experience a new depth of fellowship with Him as we pour out our hearts to Him over and over for this need.
 God wants to change what we’re asking for and why we’re asking for it, so that we truly seek His will instead of our own.
 He wants to develop our patient perseverance. There is a spiritual fitness gained over the long haul that cannot come to us in the momentary miracle.
 He wants us to realize He is not a gratification machine; He is God, a Person with His own feelings and will and His own plan. Sometimes that plan is so far beyond our comprehension that He just asks us to trust the mystery.
 He wants us to involve each other in praying for our need… thus binding the body of Christ more closely together.
 He wants to involve others of His children in providing the answer as they use their gifts for edifying the church – Christian counselors, caregivers, those with the gift of helps in its various forms, etc.

Lots of reasons why deliverance from any bondage or trial can take time. It’s true not only in our personal lives, but in the life of our church. What good can come of an extended, careful search for our new pastor?

 It’s God’s safeguard against murmuring and second-guessing down the road
 It’s a time to remember that Jesus is the real Shepherd of the church, and the One we are following.
 It can bind us together more closely as we seek His will together.
 It calls us as a church to carefully consider our fears and our goals and our priorities.
 It calls us to step up to the plate and fill new roles.
 It gives God opportunity to conform us to the mystery of His will, His good and perfect will.

Deliverance is sometimes immediate; more often it’s a season. We’re in a season of deliverance right now at FAC. There’s a reason for this season - probably a lot of reasons, in fact. Let’s not miss one of them.