Who Delivers, UPS Or Jesus?
“Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.” Romans 5:3 Amplified Bible
Paul is talking about how we live in that state of favor before God because of who we are in Christ. Basically, he is saying that the work has been done for us by Jesus and He has already procured everything that we need. No matter what we face, he has already purchased the victory or deliverance for us.
We can be in His “full” joy already because of the state of favor, even before we experience and see the victory, we can be in full joy. And even when all that we see in the natural tells us that the problem or trouble still exists, we can still be in joy because we know that Jesus has already purchased the victory of for whatever that situation might be. We just have to wait for delivery and receive it.
Think of it this way, it is as though you are looking for something online. You know what you need, you identify that need, you find it and then you purchase it. As soon as you have completed that purchase online how do you feel? You have already given them your credit card information and the transaction has been completed. All you are doing at this point is waiting for delivery, which you already know could to take a week to ten days. Because you believe that, you already feel that good feeling of ownership because you purchased it and it is yours. No one needs to come to you and say, “Would you like to buy this item?” You would say “no” because you had already purchased one, it is yours already.
Even though it has not yet been delivered to you and is not yet in your possession, you are content because you know it is yours. This is how we should be when believing God for things in faith. Yet what usually happens? We pray and then we never quit worrying until the answer is in front of us. Ultimately we have greater confidence in UPS or the U.S. Postal Service than we do in Jesus.
When we complete a purchase online we know it was ours and act accordingly. Yet when we pray we stress until we see it tangibly in our possession. He has already purchased for us whatever it is that we need. We just need to expedite the delivery, and that comes from words of thanks and praise. The purchase is already made for us and ready for delivery.
J Todd Hostetler
www.cityonahillTC.org