Joel Osteen - Seeing From a Distance
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I want to talk to you today about Seeing From a Distance. We all have promises in our heart and dreams we're believing for, but sometimes they seem so far off and so unlikely. We don't see how we could get well, or how we'll meet the right person. Doesn't look like our child will ever get back on course. It's such a long way off that it's easy to get discouraged and think that it's never going to happen. Hebrews 11 talks about the heroes of faith, and all the amazing things they accomplished, and how God showed up and did what only he could do: parted the red sea for Moses, brought down the walls of Jericho for Joshua, closed the mouths of lions for Daniel. They were all in situations that looked impossible, no way out.
Verse 13 gives us a secret of how they saw the promises come to pass. It says "They had not yet received what God promised, but they saw it from a distance, and welcome the promises of God". When every circumstance said, "It's never going to happen. It's been too long. The opposition's too big", they just kept seeing it in the distance. Their attitude was, "Maybe a long way off, but I still believe what God promised. I still believe what he started he'll finish. I still believe he can make a way where I don't see a way". They welcomed it by faith. When the promise is far off, doubt will try to fill your mind, "You can't have the baby, you saw the report. You'll always have have this addiction, everyone in your family struggles with it. You can't start your business, you can barely pay your own bills".
If you agree with the doubt, it's going to push the promise away. You have to welcome it by faith, "Lord, I thank you that my healing is on the way. Thank you that freedom is coming. Thank you that my child is turning around. Thank you that abundance is in my future". May be way off in the distance, but you're saying, "Come on in. Healing, you're welcome here. Abundance, you're welcome here. Freedom, you're welcome in my house". The more you welcome it, the more you thank God and believe it's going to happen, the closer it's getting. The Message translation of verse 13 says, "Each of these heroes of faith did not yet have what was promised. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted it was going to happen". When it was way off, they waved at it, they were welcoming it, expecting it, giving it permission to come.
I was at the airport one time waiting for some friends who were coming in from overseas. And we hadn't seen them in a long time, we were so excited. And we were standing in the lobby in this restricted area, they had to come through customs. There was a glass wall, and you could see the people through the jetway about 50 yards away, and we were hoping to get a glimpse of them. Hundreds of people were coming through, and we kept looking and looking and straining, and at one point we saw them. Of course we all started waving and waving, trying to get their attention. They finally saw us and started waving back and blowing kisses. We wanted to make sure they felt welcome, that they knew how glad we were to have them.
Most of the promises God puts in our heart start far off: the dream, the healing, the breakthroughs, they start in the distance. Seems unlikely, we don't have the resources, we don't know the right people, the opposition has more influence, more equipment. That's the way it was with the heroes of faith. Every thought said "The giant is too big, David. The fire too hot, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. You've been sick 12 years, woman with the issue of blood". They had every reason to get discouraged, think that it could never happen, but they understood this principle: they saw it in the distance, and welcomed it by faith.
Your healing may look far away, your freedom, your abundance, meeting the right person may look a long way off. What am I saying? Don't get discouraged by the distance. Get up every morning and wave at your healing, wave at your family salvation, wave at your freedom, wave at that spouse house you've been dreaming about, wave at your abundance. You have to give it permission to become a reality. Let it know that it's welcome. When you believe, expect, thank God, it's getting closer, you're drawing it in.
But too often we let the distance cause us to quit believing, "There's no way I can get well, Joel, you should see the report. My family can't be restored, there's so much strife. I can't accomplish my dreams, I don't have the resources". The distance is a test. How you respond when things are far away will determine whether or not you see them become a reality. May be a long way off, but that doesn't mean it's not going to happen. Promises start in the distance, healing starts in the distance, dreams start in the distance.
The enemy would love for you to let the distance talk you out of what God put in your spirit. He'll whisper, "It's too far away. It's not possible, what have happened by now". Don't believe those lies, God wouldn't have put that in your heart if he wasn't going to bring it to pass. You have to keep seeing it in the distance, calling it in by faith, thanking God that is coming, expecting things to change in your favor. Just like I waved at my friends at the airport that were far away, wave at your healing, wave at your new business, wave at your dream. Make it feel welcome. Give it permission to become a reality. That's when God will step in and take what looks far away, what's unlikely, what no one saw coming, and make it a reality.
This is what Abraham had to do. He didn't have any children, no way to carry on his legacy. He was very discouraged, he said, "God, you blessed me in great ways, but I don't have a child. When I have to leave my inheritance to my staff". God said, "No, Abraham, I'm going to give you a son. You will become the father of many nations". The problem was, Abraham and his wife Sarah were way too old. Sarah was 70, she had already gone through the change of life. On top of that she was barren, never able to have children. You talk about be the promise being in the distance, far away, this one was in another universe. No one had ever had a baby at that age.
When Sarah first heard it, she laughed. She said, "How can an old woman like me, and a worn out man like Abraham ever have a baby"? She told it like it was. Abraham was in his tent at night, God told him to go outside, look up at the stars. As many as he could see, that's how many children he was going to have. God wanted him to have this picture, but think about the star, they're a long way off, millions of miles, far in the distance. God could have had Abraham go to the busy marketplace, in the city square, and see all the people up close, right there where you could touch them. But on purpose he gave him this image of a promise far away.
When God puts things in your heart that seem a long way off, that's when you have to show God what you're made of. You'll either the dismiss it, "It's never going to happen" or you'll wave at it, "God, I thank you that it's on the way. I believe what you promised". You'll either push it away with doubt and discouragement, or you'll welcome it with faith and expectancy. Sarah laughed in unbelief. She just looked at it in the natural, but Abraham knew God is supernatural. Romans 4:18-20 says, "Even though this promise seemed utterly impossible, Abraham was fully convinced, God was able to do what he promised". Goes on to say, "He did not waver in his faith, but grew stronger by giving praise to God".
I can imagine Abraham at night, looking up at the stars and waving at them, "Father, I know you are faithful to what you promised. I thank you that my son is on the way". He stayed strong in faith by continuing to thank God that it was coming. When the promise is in the distance, far away, you're going to have plenty of opportunities to get discouraged, grow weary. Thoughts will tell you, "It's not going to work out. You heard the reports, it's too late". Tune all that out and keep seeing it from a distance. The distance doesn't mean God is not going to do it. Most of his promises start far away. If it was close, practical, you could figure it out, you have everything you need, then it wouldn't take faith. God is going to put things in your heart that seem unlikely, never happened in your family. All your reasoning says "No way", that's when you have to do like Abraham: against all hope, hope on in faith, keep waving at it, keep thanking God that he's working, keep believing that it's coming.
Abraham had this promise a year, no baby. Two years, nothing happened. 5 years, still nothing. It already seemed impossible, now with each year that goes by it becomes more unlikely. What do you do when you're doing the right thing, but nothing's improving, it's not getting any closer? That doesn't mean that God is not working, you have to keep seeing it by faith, keep waving it in, keep talking like it's coming, keep expecting things to change. Not move by how far off it is, but fully persuaded that God will do what he promised.
20 years later Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son at 91 years old. There may be things you're believing for that seem far off, no sign of it in the natural. Thoughts telling you, "It's never going to work out", but like Abraham you keep seeing it from a distance, trusting that God's working, welcoming that promise. God is going to do for you what he did for him. It may have been years, but get ready, breakthroughs are coming, healing is coming, that baby is coming, your promotion is coming. Suddenly things are going to change. You can't explain it, it seemed like is far away, but here's the key: God knows how to accelerate things, he can speed up what should take years. One touch of his favor and what you see in the distance will suddenly become a reality. If Abraham were here today, he would tell you, "Don't get discouraged by the distance. Don't quit believing because it seems far away. You are closer than you think. You are on the verge of seeing God do something you've never seen".
When I was growing up, there were five of us kids in the house. And we lived on an acre lot out in the country and we had two dogs. At one time we had some chickens, and roosters in a pen in our backyard. They were always getting out, we'd have to go to the neighbors and round up our runaway chickens. Our dog Scooter, a big German shepherd, he was constantly in other people's business. Neighbors would call, "Please, come get your dog". Bottom line, my father was tired of dealing with all the headaches that come with a bunch of animals. But when I was 7 years old, my sister Tamara, she's 18 months older than I am, she decided that she wanted some rabbits. She asked my father. Well, daddy didn't have to think twice. He said, "Not a chance in the world, Tamara. We are not getting any rabbit".
Well, that it went in one ear and out the other. It didn't phase Tamara, she was stubborn... I mean she was determined. A few hours later, "Daddy, can we please get some rabbits? I'll take care of them, you won't have to do anything". She kept asking and asking, week after week, month after month. She finally wore my father down. He said, "Tamara, even if we wanted to get rabbits, we don't know where to buy them". Tamara said, "Yes I do, daddy. I know exactly where to get them". He said "Where"? She said, "Let's get in the car, and I'll show you". We all got in. She asked my father to drive toward the church. We lived in Humble, we got on Highway 59, started driving. About 10 minutes in she says, "Slow down, slow down", then she pointed over to the right and said, "There it is".
About a quarter of a mile off the freeway, past the feeder, past the shopping center, down a side street of this neighborhood, one of the houses had a little sign on the fence out front, about 2 feet wide with handwritten letters that said "Rabbits for sale". To see that sign from the freeway you would have to have supernatural vision. How she saw that driving 60 miles an hour down the highway had to be a miracle. But faith sees what other people can't see. We had driven down that freeway hundreds of times, maybe thousands of times coming to church, but none of us saw anything about rabbits. But Tamara knew how to see from a distance.
My father said, "Okay, Tamara, but even if we did get some rabbits, we don't have any place to put them". She said, "Oh, yes, we do, daddy, I already had Paul make them a cage in his perfect". Faith not only sees from a distance, but it makes plans for what God promised. Don't just see it, take it a step further and start building your cage, start making plans to get well, plans to get out of debt, plans to meet the right person. Not "If it ever happens", but "When I start my new business", "When I meet my spouse", "When I'm able to run again", "When my child comes back home".
That's what allow allows the most high God to go to work. Seeing what others can't see, declaring it, believing it will happen, making plans for what God put in your heart. We had those rabbits about three days before they escaped from Paul's amazing cage. He's a surgeon, not a builder. We were constantly looking for those rabbits from a distance.
First kings chapter 18, the people of Samaria were in a drought for three and a half years ,and they were barely surviving. And God gave a promise to Elijah that there was going to be an abundance of rain. He was so confident that he told king Ahab, the man that ruled that area, that the drought was coming to an end. He didn't just hear the promise, but he declared what God said. He talked like it was going to happen. I'm sure Ahab thought, "Elijah, not a cloud in the sky, it's no sign of rain, that doesn't make sense". But faith sees what other people cannot see. Elijah went on top of mount Carmel and begin to thank God that the rain was coming, thanking him for something that seemed far away.
He asked his assistant to go to the other side of the mountain to see if there's any sign of rain. He's hoping to get a little encouragement, "God, I'm seeing it by faith, but at least let me see a few clouds, let me see a little change". The assistant came back and said, "Elijah, nothing. It's perfectly clear. It's not going to rain". The assistant didn't mean anything wrong, he was just reporting the facts. But to stay in faith you have to ignore the negative reports. Everyone can't see what you see, they didn't hear what you heard. It's too far in the distance for them to see it. They'll tell you, "It's not going to rain. You're never going to get well. Never break that addiction". Let it go in one ear and out the other. They don't determine your destiny, God does.
Elijah asked the assistant to go look again. He came back and said the same thing, "Nothing. No wind, no clouds, not any different". This happened six times, the same negative report. And sometimes when you're looking for what God promised, it's so far in the distance, you can't see anything with your natural eyes. It's not visible yet, this is when you have to use your eyes of faith. "I don't feel any better yet, but by faith I see my healing. No doors have open yet, but by faith I see my dream coming to pass. My child is still off course, but by faith I see him fulfilling his purpose".
The seventh time the assistant came back, he said, "This time I saw a small cloud about the size of a man's hand in the sky". It's significant that God God could have had a big bank of clouds roll in, all the sky get dark where it was obvious it was going to rain. But notice how this came about in stages: nothing for six times, now just a little cloud. Elijah could have gotten discouraged, "God, I must have heard you wrong, maybe it's not going to rain". Now, when he saw that small cloud, he came off the mountain, told king Ahab to get in his chariot and hurry to another city or he would be stopped by the rain. He didn't just see it, he made plans like it was going to happen. It wasn't long till the heavens opened up and the drought came to an end.
There may be promises God has spoken to you, but they too seem so far off, it's tempting to quit believing. Like Elijah, you have to keep seeing it in the distance, waving at what God promised, expecting things to change in your favor. When you welcome it, you give it permission to come. If Elijah would have doubted and talked defeat, let that assistant convince him that it wasn't going to happen, we wouldn't be talking about it. There are levels of your destiny you cannot reach without seeing in the distance, believing when it's far away, doesn't seem possible. This is what separates ordinary people from heroes of faith.
Where God is taking you is much bigger than than you've imagined, with more influence, more resources, more anointing, but for that to happen there will be things that seem over your head, out of your control, not possible. "You can't have a baby, Abraham, you're too old. It's not going to rain, Elijah, you're in a drought. You can't take the throne, David, king Saul's chasing you". When it seems far away, that's okay, just keep seeing it by faith, believe when every circumstance says "There's no way". Like with Elijah, that little cloud way off in the distance will suddenly turn into a downpour, an abundance of rain, and you will see what God promised.
My nephew Matt is my brother Paul's son. And when he was 12 years old, Matt started struggling with depression. He lost interest in school, and wouldn't engage socially with other students, or hardly even his own family. The depression became so bad that he had to drop out of school. This of course was breaking Paul's heart. Paul prayed, believed, quoted scriptures, nothing improved. Year after year went by, no sign of change. Paul could have given up, "Well, maybe it's not meant to be", but he did what I'm asking us to do: he kept seeing it from a distance, look far away for Matt to fulfill his destiny.
That promise that "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord" didn't seem possible at that point. Paul heard abundance in effect, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Like Elijah, Paul kept looking, "God, I don't see a sign, but I know you're working, I know you're doing things behind the scenes". He didn't have to have it right in front of him to believe, he believed from a distance, when there were no clouds, no sign, nothing improving.
When Jesus rose from the grave, he appeared to his disciples and Thomas wasn't there that day. Thomas said, "I'm not going to believe unless I see Jesus up close, unless I feel the nail prints in his hand, and see the scars on his side". Jesus appeared to him later, said (John 20:29), "Thomas, you have believed because you have seen. But blessed are those who will believe and have not seen". Don't be a Thomas, "I have to see it up close, Joel. When it's right here, then I'll believe". No, be an Elijah, be a Paul, see it from a distance, believe when it's far away, when there's no sign, it looks unlikely. That's what it takes to become a hero of faith. That's when you'll see God show out in your life and do more than you can imagine.
Matt spent years struggling with that depression, but when you have people praying for you, and declaring freedom, and speaking victory, forces of darkness cannot stay. There will come a point where God says, "Enough is enough. Your time in this famine is over". That's what happened with Matt. It was like those chains of depression were broken suddenly off of him, got his passion back, got his joy back. He went and finished high school, went on to college, got his bachelor's degree. Went on to law school, got his law degree. And now, Matt right here on the front row, now you guys know Matt, he's an attorney with us, working here at Lakewood. He runs our humanitarian outreaches, helping people all over the world.
What Paul used to see from a distance, his son blessed, mighty in the land, fulfilling his purpose, has now become a reality, he sees it up close. Is there something God promised you that seems far away? That dream to write a book, to get healthy again, to be free from the addiction. There's no sign of it happening now, you're right where Paul was, right where Abraham was. Don't let the distance discourage you, dare to see it by faith.
When the prodigal son left home and wasted all of his money partying, and living wild, he got so desperate that he decided to go back home. The scripture says (Luke 15:20) "When the father saw him a long way off, he ran out to greet him". This father represents God. What is God doing when things are a long way off? When this father hadn't heard from his son for months, I can imagine him telling his staff, "Get the best robe out, make sure it's washed and ironed. I'm going to need it when my son returns. Get the family ring and make sure it's polished. Feed the cattle, I'm going to need a fatted calf here real soon".
While the son was a long way off, the father was working behind the scenes, making plans for him to come home in victory. You may have promised that seem a long way off, and kind of feels like God's forgotten about you, going on vacation. No, can I tell you? God is working right now, making plans for your victory, arranging things in your favor, lining up the right people. Even though it's in the distance, believe that it's on the way. Get up each morning and wave to your healing, wave to your freedom, wave to your abundance. You have to welcome it, give it permission to come.
Doubt will try to talk you out of it, "Come on, there are no clouds in the sky. You're too old to have that child. The experts say it's not going to happen", look beyond all that. Do like Tamara and see what other people can't see. Make plans for what God put in your heart. May not happen for them, but it can happen for you. You're not ordinary, you're a hero of faith. There is greatness in you. You know this secret: to see it from a distance.
I know many of you have been doing this, faithfully believing when you don't see any sign, looks far away. But can I encourage you? You are closer than you think! Now, I believe and declare: like Elijah, there's about to be a downpour of favor, a downpour of healing, downpour of freedom. Like Sarah and Abraham, that baby, that promise is on the way. Like my brother Paul, a turnaround in your family members, in Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say amen?