Are You Waiting on God?
But I will watch for the Lord; I will wait confidently for God, who will save me. My God will hear me.
Micah 7:7
Are you waiting for the Lord to answer you after a long time of prayer? You may be asking yourself, “Did the Lord hear my prayer or did the Lord refuse to answer it?”
We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will (John 9:31). If we serve the Lord, then we can be sure that he hears our prayers and he will always answer if it brings glory to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13). We know the Lord hears our prayers and will answer according to these two verses, but will he answer our prayers the way we expect and when we expect?
But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts, is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways (James 1:6-7). How is it possible to pray without having any doubt? If you have faith that is pleasing to the Lord, you will have no doubt when you pray. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). Faith that trusts the Lord in this way (having no doubt) requires that we not trust our own understanding, but instead trust the Lord’s answer and his timing. We are his servants and God is our master, therefore we pray and leave everything in his divine hands, knowing that his ways are perfect even if we don’t fully understand.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20). We pray through the Spirit and the Lord knows us better than we know ourselves: He knows our circumstances, and the hearts of all the people involved; therefore his answer provides immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. However it is important that his power is at work within us, because our prayers are answered through our obedience to his will.
If we are striving to obey the Lord’s perfect loving will, and to have our prayers bring glory to God, then we can fully trust His promise to answer. By leaving our prayers in the Lord’s hands, we can be one-hundred percent confident in his will. We really don’t have to wait on the Lord, because we have put it in the Lord’s hands while continuing to walk as his servants. The Lord takes the responsibility for our prayers while our responsibility is to obey the Lord. This makes us free in Christ. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).
Today when you pray, leave it in the Lord’s hands. He may answer you immediately or some time later. Whatever his plan, continue to walk as his servant, and continue praying. The more you trust the Lord the more freedom you will have in Christ.
Let’s Pray: Lord help me to trust you completely and to walk as your servant. Guide me to be obedient through the Holy Spirit, and to always be a light for Christ. In Jesus name, Amen