Old Faithful

We waited and waited. Then finally, I stood in awe as the geyser, Old Faithful, spewed steaming water 150 feet into the air. The Yellowstone National Park ranger told us that it was myth that the geyser erupts every 96 minutes. He said it is faithful to spray the water, but not on man’s timetable.

Doesn’t that sound like God? Scripture repeatedly states that God is faithful beyond our imagination. However, sometimes we doubt. The problem is that we want Him to act in faithfulness according to our requests, standards, and time allotment. We especially feel that way when problems rattle our lives. We ask, “Where is the faithfulness of God right now?”

We want the Lord to react like a genie in a bottle. We call out our wishes and we demand that He bring about miraculous results. I recently witnessed this attitude in an unbelieving friend. She landed unexpectedly in the hospital with an undiagnosed problem. Frustrated she said, “I cried out to God last night and He didn’t help me! What kind of God is He?” Although, my friend never gave a thought about God until a crisis arose, she expected His immediate help when she called out. She demanded the Lord be faithful to her needs on her schedule. Her disappointment resulted in a defiant attitude of doubt.

In addition, I have discovered another intriguing similarity between the geyser, Old Faithful, and God’s faithfulness. The park guide explained after an earthquake, the time between eruptions lengthens. Earthquakes in 1959, 1983, and 1998 increased the average length between the geyser’s eruptions from 76 minutes to approximately 90 minutes. Just like Old Faithful, I have found that as God increases my faith, He sometimes increases the time between my “earthquake” and His rescue. By allowing a longer time span between crisis and aid, God brings me to believe in, rely on, and depend upon His yet unseen faithfulness.