Servant God

"I'm not following God anymore because ..." These words may or may not be expressed verbally, but they are common in the thoughts of many people. The blank is filled in differently by different people, but it is usually because God didn't do for them what they wanted Him to do. He didn't give them a spouse. He didn't heal their spouse's cancer. He didn't miraculously pay off their debts. He didn't keep their house from burning down.

Others wouldn't go so far as to stop following God, but their devotion and faithfulness wane. They stop actively serving Him, and their church attendance becomes sporadic. The fervent love and dedication that once filled their hearts is replaced by a guarded reserve or ambivalence. These people, too, have their reasons. Maybe their lives have been one struggle after another. They can't seem to get comfortable financially. Their children "turned out wrong." They have been disappointed as they continue to await the answer to a long-standing prayer.

In either case - whether they completely neglect God or whether they become a "fringe" Christian - the basic reason is the same. They had an expectation of God, and that expectation was not met. They thought that if they followed God, things would go well for them.

The extreme of this idea is prevalent in our culture. The "health-and-wealth" gospel promises that those who follow God will have their illnesses healed and their bills paid. They will have nice houses and nice cars. They will be able to take nice vacations and enjoy the good life of the American dream.

Many Christians are wise enough to reject this erroneous teaching, yet they maintain an underlying expectation of at least a modified version of the teaching. They believe that if they follow God, He will bless them. Sure, some Christians have trials, but they expect to be the exception. At the very least, they think their trials will be mild and brief.

There is no doubt that God blesses His children. The Bible is filled with both statements and examples of such a response (Psalm 115:13). However, the Bible is also filled with statements and examples revealing that trials are part of life and that such trials are often ordained by God (I Peter 4:19).

Blessings come in more than one form. Humans have the tendency to focus on material or visible blessings: health, finances, houses, cars, family. God often gives those types of blessings, but He is more focused on spiritual blessings: peace, joy, endurance, strength, maturity. Someone who suffers from a persistent illness but ministers to others through it is blessed of God. A family that is poor but united in love is blessed of God. A pastor of a small, struggling church who maintains a testimony of faithfulness is blessed by God.

Both a Christian's view of God and his resulting relationship with God suffer when he expects God to be a servant God. A Christian whose main communication with God is praying for things he wants God to do for him has a shallow Christianity. Such a viewpoint has a faulty premise (that perhaps the believer doesn't even realize he possesses); it makes man the center rather than God. In essence, it states, "I am so loved by God that He saved me, and now He will do for me anything that I want. All I have to do is ask Him." It is really a proud position, one that assumes worth and importance and a sense of privilege.

How different this is from a humble and more accurate perspective, which declares, "I am a sinner, and God graciously saved me anyway. I am so grateful to Him that I will accept whatever He chooses and do whatever He wants. All He has do is ask me." (Job 2:10) This position correctly recognizes that God is the great one and that man is lowly and undeserving.

God's ways are not man's ways (Isaiah 55:8), and God's plans are not man's plans (Proverbs 16:9). God's desire for mankind is that he would bring honor to the Creator God who is worthy of praise (I Corinthians 6:20). Within that grand purpose, God wants Christians to grow in Christ-likeness (Philippians 1:6). Whether Christians like it or not, that growth is best achieved through trials, and as Christians deeply learn the truth of God's Word through those trials (James 1:2-4).

The maturity gained through trials is a priceless blessing. The resulting closeness to God is a priceless blessing. The experiential knowledge of the Bible is a priceless blessing. The increased capacity to minister to others is a priceless blessing. The purifying factor in the life is a priceless blessing.

God often follows times of trial with times of blessing - that is, with blessings in a format that humans can more easily appreciate. Job is a notable example. The danger of walking away from God or of weakening in one's fervency results because Christians get tired waiting for that blessing or they don't recognize it in the form in which it comes. Most assuredly, those who faithfully follow God will be blessed, but receiving the blessing cannot be the focus. Christianity is not about what God can do for man, but about what He wants to do in man. If God does not give the answer a Christian desires, he cannot throw away his faith. God will accomplish the good work He desires; man must submit, trust, and wait. God is not man's servant; He is the good and wise Master.

"Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me" (II Corinthians 12:8-9).