Do You Have Patient Faith?
Follows the message Abraham: The Father of Faith from the Faith series
If you have taken a step of faith and are still waiting to see the result, you are not doing it wrong. God's timing is usually slower than ours, and He speaks mainly through His Word, not an audible voice. The way to hear more from God is to act on what He has already said.
Key takeaways
- God's timing is usually slower than ours, so waiting after a step of faith doesn't mean you did it wrong.
- God speaks mainly through His Word, and most believers never hear an audible voice.
- The more you hear and obey God, the more you hear, and ignoring what He already said can make Him feel silent.
- Faith in Hebrews 11 always moves: Abel offered, Noah built, and Abraham went.
Why does faith feel so slow?
Faith feels slow because God is building something in you that a quick answer can't build. We want microwave faith, but God often works more like a slow cooker or an oven. Patient faith is trusting God for what hasn't arrived yet and continuing to obey while you wait.
On Beyond Sunday, Pastor Landon Sloan said this stuck with him most from the weekend message. Many people, especially in his generation, want the quick turnaround: I did this, so where is the result? It is also easy to bend faith back toward yourself and ask what it does for you.
Hebrews 11, often called the faith hall of fame, answers that impatience. We want evidence right away, but faith is the evidence.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
Notice the two halves. "What we hope for" is about timing: you are trusting God for something that hasn't arrived yet. "What we do not see" is about evidence: when you act on what God has said, that action is the proof that you trust Him.
How does God speak to you?
God speaks to you primarily through His Word. If you want to know God's will, read it. He wrote it down, and it is plain and knowable.
Growing up in church can create a strange pressure. Pastor Landon admitted the pressure he felt. If you are 25 and have never heard God speak out loud, you start to wonder if something is wrong with you. Hearing that most people never hear an audible voice was freeing for him.
Pastor Sean Sloan agreed. People sometimes do hear God audibly, in Scripture and today, and we don't deny that. But that is not the main way God speaks. You don't need to be a special person or have a special experience to hear from Him. Everyone can hear from God through His Word.
The Holy Spirit also prompts believers in ways that can feel like an ordinary thought: "I should check on that person." Anything you sense this way should line up with what Scripture already says.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:4 to 5
Before this command, Moses told the people that God gave His commands so they would do them. In Scripture, hearing God is more than sound reaching your ears. It is your heart agreeing with Him and your life lining up with what He said.
Why does God sometimes feel silent?
God may feel silent because you haven't acted on what He already told you. The more you hear and obey, the more you hear. The more you hear and reject, the less you hear.
Pastor Landon shared his own story. For years he felt God was quiet. Then he realized he had been ignoring the same call for about four years. Every time he prayed for direction, the same answer came back, and he kept asking for another option, almost like swiping left. When he finally said yes, a snowball of blessing followed. He found fulfillment in his work and love for the people of the church, and he met the woman he is going to marry.
Think of it like a door. God may even crack it open for you, but you have to walk through. And if you have been backing away from what He asked, it is okay. Start walking toward Him. He meets you where you are.
What does faith look like in action?
Faith always moves. In Hebrews 11, every "by faith" is followed by an action: Abel offered, Noah built, Abraham went.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
Hebrews 11:8
Jesus said the same thing at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Hearing alone isn't enough. The person who hears and acts builds a life that holds up in a storm.
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matthew 7:24
Faith in action is usually about other people. Pastor Landon noticed this when the Holy Spirit nudged him to ask a stranger in a Lowe's aisle how they were doing. The nudge was never about him. It was about being used for someone else. The two greatest commands are to love God and love your neighbor, and that love is something you do. When the prompt comes to ask, "Is everything okay? Can I pray with you?", act on it. What is the worst that can happen? Ten awkward seconds.
How do you close the gap between hearing and doing?
Close the gap by deciding ahead of time that you will obey quickly. Then trust that what God wants for you is better than what you would choose.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10
How is God's will done in heaven? Pastor Sean pointed out that it happens right away, without resistance or hesitation. That is the goal for your life too: shorten the time between hearing and doing.
That doesn't mean acting on every impulse. Pastor Sean passed along a saying from his father. When you don't have a word from God, use your head. When you do have a word from God, really use your head. Take steps of faith, not leaps. When you think you have heard a personal word from God, make sure it agrees with His written Word.
Take your next step
- Read Hebrews 11 and circle the action word after each "by faith."
- Ask yourself: what has God already told me to do that I keep putting off?
- Test anything you sense God saying against Scripture before you act on it.
- The next time you feel a nudge to check on someone or pray with them, do it within the hour.
- Pick one step you can take this week, not a leap, and take it.
Pray
Lord, I want to hear You, and I want to obey quickly. Show me where I have been ignoring what You already said. Give me patience while I wait and courage to take the next step. Let Your will be done in my life the way it is done in heaven. Amen.
Common questions
How do I hear God's voice if I have never heard Him audibly?
Most people never hear an audible voice. God speaks mainly through His Word, and the Holy Spirit also prompts believers in ways that can feel like an ordinary thought. Anything you sense from God should line up with Scripture.
Why does God feel silent to me?
Ask whether God has already said something you haven't acted on. The more you hear and obey, the more you hear. Many people find that saying yes to an old, clear call opens the door to hearing more.
What does Hebrews 11 teach about faith?
It defines faith as confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Then it shows people acting on it: Abel offered, Noah built, and Abraham went where God called him.
How long does it take God to answer prayer?
Scripture gives no fixed timeline, and God's timing is often slower than ours. Faith means trusting Him for what you can't see yet and continuing to obey while you wait.
Your next step
Ready for a step of faith? Find your next step at Calvary, or join a small group where you can read Scripture with others.