I pray. I tithe. I show up every Sunday. So why does it still feel like everything is falling apart?” Maybe you’ve asked that question. Maybe you’ve never said it out loud, but somewhere deep inside, you’ve wondered the same thing. I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. I’m praying. I’m giving. I’m attending church. I’m trying to live right. So why isn’t God fixing this?
It’s an honest question. And perhaps part of the answer is that we have unknowingly turned our relationship with God into a formula. We do the right things, and we expect certain results. We pray, and God answers. We tithe, and God blesses. We attend church, and God protects. We obey, and God makes our lives work.
But God doesn’t work on a formula. He is a relational God.
God Is Not a Formula to Be Followed
Prayer is good. Tithing is good. Gathering with the church is good. Obedience is good. Faithfulness is good. But none of these things are transactions through which we control God or obligate Him to give us the life we want.
We don’t come to God because He is a means to an end. We come to Him because He is God. And we are in need of a Savior. That distinction matters.
God certainly cares about our dreams, our needs, our families, our struggles, and the things we hope for. He invites us to bring those things to Him. Scripture is filled with examples of God providing, healing, delivering, restoring, and opening doors.
But those blessings are not the foundation of our relationship with Him. He is.
If the primary reason we come to God is what He can do for us, eventually we may find ourselves facing a crisis of faith when He doesn't do what we expected. And that is where faith can begin to unravel.
What Happens When God Doesn't Do What We Expect?
If we have built our understanding of God around the idea that faithfulness produces the outcome we want, what happens when the outcome doesn't come?
- What happens when you prayed—and the diagnosis didn't change?
- When you gave—and the financial breakthrough didn't come?
- When you obeyed—and the relationship still fell apart?
- When you served God faithfully—and life still became painfully difficult?
We can begin to question everything: Did I not pray enough? Did I not have enough faith? Did I do something wrong?
And eventually, if we aren't careful, we may begin deconstructing our faith—not because God has failed us, but because the version of God we constructed in our minds isn't behaving the way we thought He should.
We created a God who was supposed to serve our expectations. And when He doesn't, we wonder whether He is really there. But perhaps the problem isn't that God has changed. Perhaps our understanding of Him needs to change.
“But Even If He Does Not …”
One of the most powerful examples of this kind of faith is found in the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were facing a furnace. They knew God was capable of delivering them. But listen to the confidence—and the surrender—in their response: “God is able to save us. But even if He doesn't, we will not bow.”
That is a different kind of faith.
It is easy to say, “I trust God because I know He will give me the outcome I want.” It is much deeper to say, “I know what my God is capable of doing. But even if He chooses not to do what I am asking, I will still trust Him.”
- Even if the prayer isn't answered the way I hoped
- Even if the door doesn't open
- Even if the healing doesn't come
- Even if the relationship isn't restored
- Even if the financial situation doesn't change
- Even if the dream dies
I will not bow. I will not forsake Him. I will not walk away. I will not exchange my allegiance to Jesus for the promise of a more comfortable life. Because my faith isn't based on what God does for me. My faith is based on who God is.
Faith Is More Than Getting Through This Life
This is one of the reasons the message of Revelation is so important. Revelation doesn't simply tell us that God will eventually make our present circumstances better.
- It gives believers a vision of where history is going
- It reminds us that Jesus wins
- It reminds us that evil does not have the final word
- It reminds us that suffering is not eternal
- It reminds us that there is a kingdom coming where God will dwell with His people, where death will be no more, and where everything broken will ultimately be made new