…equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight…
Hebrews 13:21a
What Should Our Faith Look Like?
The other day I drove past one of those clever church billboard signs. It read, “Faith: God will do His part, and you must do yours.” What a loaded statement! Oddly enough, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the truth about myself. I am a lot more comfortable with doing what I perceive to be my part than with I am with waiting for God to do His. This is precisely why I need God to change me from the inside out.
If I’m very honest, waiting on God to do His part generally poses a two-part problem for me.
Patience and Surrender
Problem one is that “waiting” implies that I am surrendered to God’s will—and His way of doing what I’m supposed to do—rather than my own. I must wait to do my part until He tells me when to do it. Would you agree that it’s often easier to launch into action ourselves? Trying to do God’s will in our own power, rather than waiting on His divine direction?
Problem two is that I often assume “God’s part” refers to Him answering how I hope He’ll answer or doing what I hope He will do. This might be the case. But more often than not, God’s part is the work He does within me. This is how He transforms and conforms my desires to be more like His own.
Not By Our Own Power
Hebrews 13:21 is one of my favorite passages in Scripture because of the assurance it offers about the benefits of surrendering and waiting. We don’t have to guess what will please God. We don’t have to muster up more will-power or convince ourselves we want to do it God’s way.
If we acknowledge Him in all we do, while waiting on His timing, He changes and transforms our hearts and desires, conforming them to His own. He works within us—changing us from the inside out—and then He equips us with the power to do what pleases Him.
Now What?
Take a moment to reflect on how God is at work in your life. Consider the touchy areas in your life He is asking you to change. Pray for the faith and the strength to surrender and allow transformation to take place within you. Boldly ask that He would give you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.
Related Resources