Recently my mind has been on patience a lot. I would not call myself a patient person, I can not wait for something for the life of me. But as fall and winter are approaching I’ve started wanting to focus more on slowing down and living a more patient and calm life. One part of my life that I have no patience in is unanswered prayers. I’ve noticed a pattern of praying for something and if my prayer doesn’t get a yes in, at most, a day then I assume it’s God telling me no.
I think being patient while waiting for a prayer is one of the most difficult things I’ve done. I remember my frustrations and anger when I was praying so hard for something and never seeing that prayer come to life. I think back on my prayer life with my health, as a kid I didn’t really pray to be healed. In fact I didn’t start praying for it until pretty recently in my life. The reason for this is that I prayed probably once or twice when I was younger but as I continued to have my condition I thought that God was telling me I would never be healed and I gave up. I didn’t dig deeper, I didn’t look into His word for an answer, I didn’t fast or seek wise counsel instead I just gave up.
I don’t blame young me for giving up so easily because it can be SO hard to tell the difference between God saying no and God saying not right now. I think as Christians we just jump into assuming it’s one or the other without ever actually hearing from God. Instead, if we don’t see a miracle right away we give up.
I’ve been reading the story of Hannah, how she was childless for years but was patient in her prayers to God. It didn't take God years to realize that Hannah was praying to Him, instead I believe that He knew when would be the right time for them and used the waiting period to strengthen Hannah.
The waiting period is hard and painful, some may even see it was a punishment. But God is using this time to prepare you for what is coming! He’s strengthening for what’s ahead so that way when the time comes you’re able to honor Him. Maybe you’ve been praying for that promotion for years and God keeps telling you to wait, only for Him to give it to you once you are strong enough to do that job for His glory. Maybe it’s a healing that you are waiting on and God is using this time to build your testimony and your relationship with Him.
God has a plan for every minute of our lives and that plan is going to give us a hope and a future. Don’t try to jump ahead in His plan just to get an answer. Instead wait patiently, knowing that this very moment was planned out by God and it will end in glory to Him!
Discussion Question:
What helps you stay strong in a season of waiting?
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