I'm impatient - I want answers to my prayers NOW!
And often, when the answers don't come, I drop my requests.
I'm sure I miss out on good things when I do that.
Waiting is often good for me - and for you. Waiting helps me sort out what is good - and what is not so good - in my prayer requests. Waiting helps me grow as a believer.
The Bible is full of requests to wait for the Lord.
In Psalm 37:7, David writes: "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes."
I bet David had plenty of reasons to act against evil men. But he had learned to wait for what God would do.
Perhaps he remembered the example of his predecessor Saul who was told by the prophet Samuel to wait at Gilgal for seven days before offering sacrifices to God (1 Samuel 10:8). When Samuel did not arrive in seven days, Saul went ahead and carried out the sacrifices instead - and for that act, he eventually lost his kingdom.
I sympathize with Saul, but he was not authorized to make the sacrifices. He acted on his own without God's permission.
Acting on our own usually isn't as costly. But it can lead to wrong decisions where we do not receive the benefits God wishes to give us.
I am sure most of us are glad that some of the things we wanted years ago did not come our way.
But what about the good things we ask for - the things the Bible tells us God wants to give us? How can we explain having to wait?
The best explanation is that God knows best when to answer our prayers.
In Daniel 9, the prophet Daniel grieved for his conquered home of Judah, praying and fasting. The angel Gabriel came to him and predicted what would happen in the end times.
So Daniel did not receive the immediate answer he was hoping for. Yet he was promised something far greater - the coming of Jesus and the unfolding of God's plan for mankind.
The angel told Daniel he was precious to God. Why? Because Daniel worshiped God and put him first in his life. And he had a heart that was constantly crying out for his people.
Waiting and persisting in prayer deepens our spiritual lives. We learn to trust even though we don't understand why our prayers aren't answered immediately the way we wish.
When the answer is "Yes", there is joy. In his book No Easy Road, Dick Eastman tells of a woman who prayed 32 years for her husband until he became a believer. It's a story that has been repeated many times through history.
As we wait, trust, and continue praying, Christ is shaping us so that we become more like him.
And often, when the answers don't come, I drop my requests.
I'm sure I miss out on good things when I do that.
Waiting is often good for me - and for you. Waiting helps me sort out what is good - and what is not so good - in my prayer requests. Waiting helps me grow as a believer.
The Bible is full of requests to wait for the Lord.
In Psalm 37:7, David writes: "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes."
I bet David had plenty of reasons to act against evil men. But he had learned to wait for what God would do.
Perhaps he remembered the example of his predecessor Saul who was told by the prophet Samuel to wait at Gilgal for seven days before offering sacrifices to God (1 Samuel 10:8). When Samuel did not arrive in seven days, Saul went ahead and carried out the sacrifices instead - and for that act, he eventually lost his kingdom.
I sympathize with Saul, but he was not authorized to make the sacrifices. He acted on his own without God's permission.
Acting on our own usually isn't as costly. But it can lead to wrong decisions where we do not receive the benefits God wishes to give us.
I am sure most of us are glad that some of the things we wanted years ago did not come our way.
But what about the good things we ask for - the things the Bible tells us God wants to give us? How can we explain having to wait?
The best explanation is that God knows best when to answer our prayers.
In Daniel 9, the prophet Daniel grieved for his conquered home of Judah, praying and fasting. The angel Gabriel came to him and predicted what would happen in the end times.
So Daniel did not receive the immediate answer he was hoping for. Yet he was promised something far greater - the coming of Jesus and the unfolding of God's plan for mankind.
The angel told Daniel he was precious to God. Why? Because Daniel worshiped God and put him first in his life. And he had a heart that was constantly crying out for his people.
Waiting and persisting in prayer deepens our spiritual lives. We learn to trust even though we don't understand why our prayers aren't answered immediately the way we wish.
When the answer is "Yes", there is joy. In his book No Easy Road, Dick Eastman tells of a woman who prayed 32 years for her husband until he became a believer. It's a story that has been repeated many times through history.
As we wait, trust, and continue praying, Christ is shaping us so that we become more like him.
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