THE POWER OF ‘UNTIL’
(7-minute read)
When children hear parents and teachers use the word ‘until’, it is often received as a threat that is intended to instill fear and hopefully, result in compliance. When God uses the word ‘until’, it is both a condition and a promise.
‘Until’ points to a time when something dreaded or desired happens. When or whether that happens is contingent on something else happening such as when we do something or when we stop doing something. In varying degrees, we have all learnt the disarming or empowering consequences of ‘until’ in our experiences with people and God.
However, when the living Word of God mentions the word ‘until’, we can be sure that it is meant to be restorative and redemptive.
Let’s look at 3 things that the power of ‘until’ builds in believers:
Patience To Stand Firm Until You See Breakthrough
Who and what have you been praying for and expecting to see God’s intervention? Patience is not an excuse to justify doing nothing and being disengaged from realities while citing Bible verses. Patience also does not mean watering down hard realities or backing down from trusting God for the change we are hoping for. Instead, patience puts what matters to us on the line - like a friendship when we refuse to give up standing firm in our belief for a breakthrough even when the friend has learnt to surrender to the status quo.
Most importantly, godly patience involves standing in the gap between brokenness and breakthrough.
God instructed Joshua to tell the priests to step into the River Jordan at flood stage and stand in the middle of it while the entire population of Israel travelled on foot through it, about half a mile downstream from the priests because they were told not to stand close to them. As unimaginable as God’s instructions were, as soon as the priests’ feet touched the edge of the river, the water upstream phenomenally piled up in a physics-defying heap! As the priests were not told to stay on dry ground to pray, the risk of drowning was very real to them but breakthrough for Israel could only happen when they stood in the line of action.
Romans 12:15 tells us, “Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.” This certainly does not sound like detached involvement. Praying requires an active involvement in another person’s life. It requires us to vicariously step into their situations - as the priests stepped into the middle of the Jordan River while the Israelites walked through it. To be sure, the priests had to stand in the midst of a large human migration of about 2 million people (based on historical records) entering the land that God had promised them. Nothing in the Bible suggests that anybody thought it was a vacation trip. And the priests had to remain in their positions until the very last person embarked on the other side of the river and the representatives from the twelve tribes approached them.
We all need patience to reap what we sow, and receive what God has promised in His Word. It is a process that involves God. Often, people misunderstand that quiet people are more patient than louder people but patience has nothing to do with our demeanors. We need honest people to tell us to stop wasting time and stop resisting doing what is necessary to let the power of God’s Word manifest in our life experience.
Galatians 6:9 emphasizes ‘doing good’ in “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” What is good is to obey the Word of God, although it can become onerous and discouraging when we do not see any signs of improvement for a long time.
When Israel’s priests stood in the midst of the River Jordan, it signified the gap between the boundaries of the past and the future. This is where we stand whenever we intercede for our loved ones and when we pray for ourselves – the threshold between what we see now and the breakthrough that is to come.
Perseverance To The End Until You See Victory
Are you on a perseverance track right now in your faith journey with Jesus? Perhaps you have been battling intense challenges that makes it hard to believe that God is working on your behalf. Whether we are dealing with declining health, family disputes, or waiting on a piece of good news, perseverance certainly does not mean we centre our lives around the situation. Rather, it means to get on with the getting on and do things in the other aspects of our lives that need our attention so that they do not suffer the malaise of neglect.
After the Israelites crossed the River Jordan, they advanced towards Jericho which was heavily fortified against Israelite invasion. God told Joshua to march around the city with all his armed men for seven days with specific frequency. And during the march, the army obeyed Joshua’s instructions, ‘Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!’ (Joshua 6:1-3, 10). We all know that as a result of following God’s marching orders, the formidable walls of Jericho miraculously collapsed without a single sledgehammer!
For the Israelite army, remaining silent was a critical part of their perseverance. To persevere does not mean to go on and on about the problematic issues in our lives. While we do not deny the difficulties some really do face, it is a mistake to over-identify with your problems to the exclusion of all other progress in your life. The Israelite army was told to be silent, but not to be still. They were making silent progress while advancing God’s agenda where it mattered! Until the walls of Jericho collapsed under God’s immense power.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverancefinish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4). To persevere is likened to allowing God to complete His retrofitting in a broken area of your life. Quietly pay attention to what God is doing through the retrofit and do not make it all about who you are because it will come to an end one day.
Pursuit For Full Consecration Until You See God’s Pleasure
Some of us only know how to operate relationships by constantly impressing people in one way or another - in overt boasting to appear strong, or actively avoiding the appearance of needing anything. But it is a futile exercise to impress God who doesn’t like religious performance or relational theatrics. God is pleased only with our obedience and not our performance of good.
Joshua 7:3-4 tells us that after the Israelites took over Jericho, only 3000 military men were mobilized to take over the sparsely populated region of Ai. Earlier in their invasion of Jericho, God had given clear instructions to the Israelites to bring all the precious metals looted from Jericho into His treasury and no one was to keep any for themselves. (Joshua 6:18-19). But unknown to the leaders, someone named Achan defied God’s orders and displeased God. (Joshua 7:1). As a result, even the small population of Ai quickly defended themselves and caused great harm to the Israelite army.
Then, God told the Israelites to remove the stolen items and, “You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.” (Joshua 7:11-13).
To consecrate ourselves to God means to set ourselves apart and devote our lives to pleasing Him. This means what matters to God should matter to us and not be delayed. What is important to God should become important to us and not be ignored. What gives God pleasure should become our pleasure to pursue. If all these do not come naturally to us, we must find the sin that is standing in the way of our seeing God’s pleasure.
King Saul habitually acted to please himself, thinking that he could appease God’s displeasure through some religious rites and sacrificial giving. But God sent him a swift rebuke through the prophet Samuel, (1 Samuel 15:22 NLT), “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to His voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”
More than doing what looks right, we must be fully committed to God so that His perspective becomes second nature to us. The patience to stand firm, the perseverance to the end and the pursuit of a life that pleases God are not achievable by mental strength but only in total submission and consecration to God.
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 17 May 2025.
