In His Time

In His Time…

Hello God, Its me again. I hope you aren’t tired of me asking about the same thing again…

I’ve been asked many times why doesn’t God answer our prayers. My answer always is He does answer our prayers, but does so in His time. Many times He has answered our prayer, we just didn’t listen or hear Him. However that is not always accepted by the person and many times they take the problem back into their own hands and carry on only to turn it back to God again down the road.

So now you ask yourself why? Is it because of little faith or is it because we just can’t stretch our faith far enough to let Him handle it for us? Are we so impatient that we know better than God? I believe it is a little of each.

God does answer our prayers, however He answers them as He sees fit for our needs. So let’s look a little bit as to why.

Is God doing something within us as He gets us ready for the answer?

Does He have a deeper purpose in this process of praying towards the fulfillment of our prayers?

Do we try to take matters in our own hands because the stretch of our faith seems too large?

He has His way of getting us ready for the answer. He is stretching our faith. He is often revealing what is in our heart. We are often impatient and He has to crucify our flesh, purify us, and make us ready so that we handle the answer in the right way when it comes.

Many of us are like a wild animal and God has to tame us so that we learn to wait on His Word, and then move forward in His timing. We must learn to pray by faith consistently and long-term. God is not building His kingdom in the flesh or through the influence of man. He is building it with faith, and this involves praying, trusting, and then moving in His timing and in His way.

The key phrase for me is “Be patient!” God will act if I don’t give up. As I have perhaps told you many times, I have had to wait long and pray hard many times for answers I thought I needed right now. The Lord has said to me during this waiting time, “Be patient – It will happen in My timing – Obey Me – Be faithful in prayer” (Colossians 4:2). So I had to continue on in faith. I’ve found that to be a good thing.

At times we may feel we are in a crisis and need God’s answer now. We may try to take matters into our own hands and really mess things up. Look at King David. He was in a dilemma many times where he needed God’s answer in a difficult situation. He cried out in Psalm 83:1 “O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still.” But he learned to wait and pray. He let God test his faith and he hung on, not letting Satan get the upper hand through a quick-fix method. And God answered His prayers.

We are all waiting in prayer for something. Right now I know of people who are praying for God’s healing from cancer. I know others who just want to get back to the mission field and others who are praying for the fulfillment of their dreams. I know others who are praying for a wayward son, daughter or friend to come home and come to the Lord.

Isn’t God concerned about all these things? Yes, He is deeply concerned. He stretches our faith in the midst of the wait just as He did with His disciples when encountering a storm at sea. He has all wisdom.

God answers our prayers at just the right moment and is never a minute too late.

Lord, I thank You that You will answer my prayers in Your perfect timing. Reveal what is in my heart, and make me ready to handle the answer in the right way when it comes. Help me to pray by faith consistently and long-term, to believe, wait, and then move forward in Your timing. Help me to be patient in prayer and not give up. I want to trust You even during moments when I feel negative emotions. I don’t want to live by feelings but by faith. Help me to not take matters into my own hands. I choose to trust you, and I refuse to believe the lies of the enemy. I choose to be faithful in prayer. Deepen my understanding, and give me a greater knowledge of what You are doing in my life. I choose to hold unswervingly to the hope that I profess. Stretch my faith in the midst of the wait, just as You did with Your disciples when encountering a storm at sea. I thank You that You have all wisdom and will answer my prayers at just the right moment and in the perfect way. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed