If you are a prayer warrior, you know about waiting for God’s answers to your prayers. We all know the ‘yes’ answers that come bring a lot of joy! The ‘no’ answers demonstrate that God isn’t going to give us things that are wrong for us. He knows when we are asking for gifts for ourselves and are not honoring His purpose and His will. Then, there are the prayers that we wait, and wait, and wait for an answer!
Biblical Example
It's a story we are familiar with. Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for years for a child. In their time, having children was critically important. Zechariah had prayed for so long, that he likely stopped praying about it. However, the Lord sent His angel to reassure Zechariah that his prayer had been heard. God’s timing was important as John the Baptist was born just before Jesus of Nazareth. The delay in answering that prayer was about His plan and His timing.
Ready to Receive
Dr. Charles Stanley said, “If He regards tomorrow’s blessing as a curse today, He’ll withhold it for a season until we’re ready to receive it.” Some say that we mature as Christians during the season of waiting. To me, that means we are drawn closer to our Father, maybe because we instinctively pray more fervently seeking that answer. Pastor Rick Warren said, “God is more interested in making you mature than He is in making life easy.”
Submit Our Agenda to Him
Waiting is hard, but we have to trust Him more fully. Our agenda doesn’t always match His, so we have to understand God’s view. “Remember God is eternal. He sees all time at the same time.” (Dr. Stanley) The Apostle Paul had a plan to get to Rome to preach the Good News. He eventually made it, but not according to his agenda. He was jailed, under constant threat of his life, and shipwrecked. During his imprisonment, Paul was full of joy because he was able to tell others why he had been imprisoned. He wrote many of his letters from prison. Paul understood that His will and His power are sovereign. He submitted to His Lordship over his life. Not only was Paul willing to say “I’ll wait” but he didn’t make a habit of grumbling while waiting.
Prayer Warriors Make Comments
I asked some dedicated prayer warriors about the waiting. Nancy recalled this quote from Richard Hendrix “Second only to suffering, waiting may be the greatest teacher and trainer in godliness, maturity, and genuine spirituality most of us ever encounter.” She shared how she was able to continue praying for years about an important matter. “God’s spirit breathed confidence and hope, and gave me perseverance to never quit praying.” Josh had been praying for many years. He commented “Just because God doesn’t answer our prayer immediately doesn’t mean He isn’t near to us or not listening. It all depends on Him and His timing.” Betsy said what many of us are thinking, “I am working on the patience thing!!!”
Dale realizes God has a unique view. “Remember God sees the big picture of our lives and we don’t.” She went on and reminded us “God’s timing is always perfect.”
Miriam wrote, “I do praise the Lord for answering prayers in His own time and how He sees fit.” Toby summed this all up pretty well I think. “Staying the course when you think God is not answering our prayers requires a lot of faith. Faith and a Christian walk are a full-time job.”
Final words of encouragement
Pastor Rick Warren encourages us with this truth “He will answer because He is trustworthy, He hears our prayers, and He will respond.”
"His faithful love endures forever."
Until next time...
Chaplain Gray
