God's intentional delay to our sincere prayers is not a sign of His indifference or His failure to hear us, but of His love. He wants to help us, not hurt us. He wants to make us stronger.
This is a hard lesson to learn. No one likes to wait. However, it is in our times of loneliness, loss, pain, and sorrow that we are driven to the very heart of God.
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith The Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
We may be confused by what God allows in our lives. His timing and view of things are not like ours. But Scriptures tell us to believe His word. It will not fail. We may not understand delays, but we must never question God's ways or lose faith in His word.
Are you struggling with God and His ways?
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in The Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
Looking back at my faith tracks, I see answered prayers time and again on major issues in my life. I see spur of the moment issues answered on the spot. Whether its cancer, loosing the checkbook or making it to a Quick Trip before running out of gas, God enjoys answering our prayers when we believe. I'm always amazed.
I've seen my faith grow from, "This is a hard one, Lord," to "There's nothing you can't do."
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Faith is something that should grow and develop. Trials have a way of either making or breaking our faith. Prayer, loving each other, contact with strong Christians, hope in the return of Christ, and reading God's Word is what perfects our faith.
It is by faith that we experience God, that we accept His Son Jesus Christ, that we are justified before God, and it is by faith that we live by the directives of God's Word and Spirit.
Steven Curtis Chapman was right when he wrote, "But there's more to this life than living and dying, More than just trying to make it through the day; More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see. And there's more than this life alone can be."
If you want more, you must acknowledge and receive Jesus Christ into your heart. There is no limit to what God can do in your life if you will submit to Him.
Ask Him to show you where and what you need to change to bring Him glory. Seek His power and pray for His outpouring on your life.
Isaiah 40:29-30 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young man shall utterly fail. But they that wait upon The Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.
God's truth is sifted through our carnal mind, our selfish will, and our fickle emotions. We tend to send back what we don't like -- what we need to hear.
When we understand who we are in light of who God is, then God can plug us into His power. As long as we are content to work within our limited power, then we will never know God's unlimited power.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
We may need to be broken. When we have been broken, truth comes directly and immediately to our spirit. It comes unchallenged, untarnished, and welcomed.
If you feel the task God is calling you to is so great that you want to say, "I could never do that," then you are in a position to see what God can do through you.
Be careful who you listen to. This world thinks the wisdom of God is foolishness, but worldly wisdom is foolishness to God and will ultimately fail.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in The Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
We can never afford to neglect the wisdom of God as revealed in His Word, confirmed by the Spirit, and prayer. Trusting God will rightly guide all our actions and decisions.
The wisdom of God's eternal purpose -- His redemption -- does not lie in the fickle hands of man, but in His power and will to perform it.
There is only one hope for us. The infinite wisdom of God made a way for the love of God to satisfy the wrath of God through the Son of God so that we might receive freely the gift of God and become forever the children of God.
Man was alienated from God by sin, and God was alienated from man by wrath. And by Jesus Christ, sin is overcome and wrath is averted. Now, God can look on man without displeasure and man can look on God without fear.
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.
Christ was sent to absorb the wrath of God. God's wrath is His righteous reaction toward sinful behavior that contradicts His holiness.
Every sinner is now invited to humbly receive Christ and His work by faith, just simple, child-like trust.
Where is God's strength displayed? It is in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecution, in distresses for Christ's sake.
When Paul prayed that his "thorn in the flesh" be removed (whatever it was), God was more concerned in Paul having more strength and power through His grace for the ministry.
"Sorry, Paul, the thorn stays, but you will with it have an unfailing supply of my personal grace."
2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
God's answer to all of man's needs is "grace", and God's grace is always sufficient.
God has to bring us all to the point of utter weakness. Unbroken, proud, boasting, self-sufficient, competent people will never know God's full blessings.
Our infirmities are meaningless compared to our survice for God.
