Someone recently reminded me of a sermon I gave a LONG time ago. He didn’t remember it perfectly, but it had made a profound impression on him. He recalled that I had said "God does not call us to save us, but to spend us." In context, what I had said was that God’s objective in calling us is not merely to save our miserable hides, but to spend us in his service.

I had said, "God is not in the business of the preservation and perpetuation of human flesh." And I think it is in this error that we are so often disappointed. We think our aches and pains are as important to God as they are to us. They may be, but it will not be for the same reason at all.

I think Paul was driving at this in a remarkable passage in 2 Corinthians.

God so often disappoints us because he is subtle. We want to see the withered hand go straight right in front of our eyes. We want to watch as the man born blind can now see. We want to watch the lifelong cripple dance and laugh. We want to see Lazarus walk out of the tomb. We want to see fire fall down out of heaven. And we are a little bit disappointed when we don’t see anything. Oh, God may make a sick man well, but we wonder if he just got better. He may find you a job, but you can’t tell if he really did or if the job was just there, and time and chance led you to it.

I can’t tell you why God does it this way, but He seems to prefer subtlety to the grand gesture. One of the great stories of the Bible is about this very preference for the quiet way of doing a piece of work. It is the story of Naaman the Leper in 2 Kings 5.

It is so easy to be disappointed with God. In spite of everything, Elijah was. He had seen the fire fall from heaven (1 Kings 18:1-40). You would think he would have been the king of the hill after this. But in a matter of hours, he was fleeing for his life. He finally ended up in a cave on a mountainside. When God finally spoke to him, it was not overwhelming. It was subtle (1 Kings 19:11-12). He told Elijah to go back to work, and in answer to his complaint that he was the only one left, God replied: "Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him" (Verse 18). You, Elijah are hardly the only man around.

I said it before: We mustn’t be disappointed with the subtlety of God. It is more often than not His preferred manner of operation. And if we watch for it, we will be far more likely to see it when it comes. When we pray, we may not have the faith to move mountains. We may not be able to pray in faith that God will make the tumor just disappear (although He has done so.) But we can pray for relief from pain, for a good night’s sleep, a better doctor, better medication.

When you pray, look for that which God may do with subtlety. Look for the leadership of the Spirit in prayer, and it expect the play to be subtle. You want to see the lame rise up and walk. That is great if it is God’s moment for it, but it is disappointing if it is not.

In the night of Jesus betrayal, he went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed fervently that he might not have to go through what lay ahead (Matthew 26:36-46). This might be disappointing if it were not for one thing. Jesus was prepared to go wherever God took him. There was no clap of thunder, no lighting, no light from heaven. There was, however, one subtle thing. As he lay there praying and sweating, and angel appeared to him, strengthening him (Luke 22:41-43).

There was also one other very important thing. Jesus adapted his hopes to the plan and the method. We are too often disappointed and discouraged because we fail to make that adaptation.

Now I don’t want you to think we shouldn’t ask God for the Big Event. By all means, ask God for the big stuff. He says you have not because you ask not. But at the same time, look for the subtlety of God, and join Him in winning the fight before the enemy even knows we are there.

There was an occasion in Israel’s early history when they were terribly oppressed by the Midianites and God revealed Himself to a man named Gideon. I recommend reading the whole story beginning with Judges 6:1 at this link. There are comments in the story.

When Jesus sent out his disciples, he said, "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). A little subtlety can save the day.

Paul told the Romans, "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:24-26)

Make your requests known to God. Ask as big as you want. But expect God to be subtle in his reply, because he is that way far more often than not. And if you are watching for God to be subtle, you will see it. Don’t forget to be thankful for it.

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