Allow me to supply the following definition of what I think it means to be spiritually mature in Christ. We are mature in our faith to the extent that we maintain our hold on a promise God has given us regardless of how much time it takes before he fulfills it. By “maintaining our hold” I mean we refuse to do anything we would otherwise do if we had no promise to look to.
For example, consider what could pass for one of the biggest promises in all of Scripture. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) We can infer from the context that the apostle Paul primarily had financial matters in mind. But we know from other scriptures that God pledges himself to meet all our needs of spirit, soul, mind, and body. That is how thoroughly he cares for us. But we also know that in the ebb and flow of life, we routinely experience mental, emotional, or physical needs that aren’t instantly resolved. And while that is so, it appears to call into question God keeping his promise. And if our faith is weak, we allow that challenging interval to unsettle our peace of mind. We might complain or become discouraged or make some impulsive attempt to do what we think will remedy the situation. Our inner disturbance exposes our infantile faith in the area in question.
In contrast to that, consider how our father in faith, Abraham, handled his 25 years of waiting regarding God’s promise to him of a son:
From Romans 4:18-21 (NIV)18 — “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead — since he was about a hundred years old — and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”
That is a mature faith. He kept his heart at peace because “he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God”. Why? Because he was “fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”
And that seems to be the crux of the issue. Abraham could not possibly have known all the things God was putting in place that required precise timing and delicate work in the course of fulfilling his promise to him. But he knew his God well enough to know that a promise given was a promise fulfilled, and so he did not allow his trust in God to waver in spite 25 years of waiting and physical realities that defied the possibility of procreation.
So what are you waiting for today? What need in your life remains unaddressed? Why not face it head on and do as Abraham did: be strengthened in your faith and give glory to God because God is both faithful and powerful. The moment is coming when you will hold God’s answer in your arms like the day Abraham held his.
