The Process

“I hate that God loves the process.”

I've heard that so many times from people who are wholeheartedly pursuing God. Heck, I've even said it myself more than a few times. It’s not that they or I am mad a God; it’s just that when we've made the same mistake for the twelve-thousandth time, it’s pretty easy to wish God would just take the desire for that sin away. I mean, if He can take away someone’s drug habit in an instant, why not do the same for our big sin struggles?

The answer you are most likely to hear around IHOP-KC is that God loves the process. He loves your heart as you are learning to love Him, and your weakness doesn't frustrate Him. But our weakness frustrates us, and often we just want to be perfect already.

“…the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.”

- Romans 8:21-23 (NIV)

Guess what? That longing to be made perfect is biblical! All of creation, including us, is longing for Jesus to return and make all things new. But Paul continues in verse 25, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” That’s the hard part – perseverance.

We're missing something

When you keep messing up, it’s pretty dang discouraging. And I don’t know about you, but for me, waiting with perseverance is much, much easier when I’m not discouraged. It takes God’s view of the process to keep the lies of the enemy from beating us down in our imperfection.

God gave the prophet Jeremiah a glimpse into His heart:

“Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

‘Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, “Thus says the Lord:

‘I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.”

- Jeremiah 2:1-2 (NKJV)

Let’s take a quick look at just a little of what Israel did in the wilderness, shall we? In Exodus 15, right after Moses and Miriam have finished praising God for deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites are complaining about the water. In chapter 16 they claim they would have rather He had killed them in Egypt because they don’t have food. In chapter 17 they complain about water again. Each time God provides for their needs. That’s just the first three chapters of freedom. Asking God for food or water would have been a much more mature way of handling the situation, but Israel as a nation had not matured into trusting God yet. (And don’t think you would have done better! I wouldn't have either.) Yet God told Jeremiah that He remembers the kindness of their youth, “when you went after Me in the wilderness.”

God’s perspective

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.”

- Psalm 103:13-14 (NIV)

God looks at our weakness and failure so much differently than we do. He hasn't forgotten that He shaped mankind out of dust. He hasn’t forgotten that we are imperfect. He hasn't forgotten that in the process of falling in love with Him, sometimes we end up more than a little mad at Him.

If anyone can handle our anger, God can. If anyone can handle our attitudes, God can. If anyone can handle our failures, God can, and He does it with love. I think the band Tenth Avenue North says it best: “This is not about what you've done, but what’s been done for you; and this is not about where you've been, but where your brokenness brings you to.” God knows where you’re going and He is okay with you not being there yet, because you are falling in love with Him.

I know; the process is still frustrating. But maybe knowing how God sees it will make perseverance just a little bit easier.