Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20
Doesn’t it sometimes feel like we are caught in the “waiting game.” We have to wait at the traffic light, wait at the post office, wait in the line at the grocery store, etc. Somedays it’s hard to be a patient person; especially since we live in an instant gratification society.
As Christians we know that we have the fruit of the Spirit for patience within us, but sometimes when it comes to prayer we run the risk of wanting instant gratification answers. We often have a preconceived idea for the desired timetable of when our prayers should be answered. It can be a struggle to wait on God’s timing. Canon Holbeck’s teaches that, “We pray. God hears. We have.” However, what we need to remember is that there might be a significant amount of time between when God hears our prayers and when we receive the answer. In his teaching on Seemingly Unanswered Prayer, Canon Holbeck talks about the fact that God answers prayer according to His timing. God’s timing is perfect. He knows what we need and when we need it. When we pray, we can trust that Jesus has heard our prayers and that the answer will come at the best possible moment for our situation.
In the book Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning tells a story that paints a great picture of how we as God’s children can trust in the Lord:
A little boy was being watched by his sister. As boys are prone to do, he snuck away for an adventure. He ran down to the dock to look at a boat. As he was looking, he slipped falling into the water with a loud splash. His sister heard the splash and began screaming for their Dad. The dad dove into the water desperately looking for his son. He found the little boy clinging to a piling. When they got to safety the dad asked his son what he was doing down there in the water. And the little boy told him, “Just, waiting on you, Dad.” (paraphrased from pg. 96, 2000)
The young boy trusted that his dad would come to his rescue. The two of them had a history together. A history built on being protected, safe, and loved. He knew that his dad was faithful in caring for him and wanting what was best for him.
This story is a reminder that Jesus is faithful and that we can trust Him to answer our prayers. Sometimes we might need to be more like the little boy and just wait on the Lord. The boy knew that His dad would know that he needed help and so he simply waited for his dad to come to the rescue. Jesus knows when we need help and rescuing. He will rescue us with answered prayer. So, when we feel like the Lord is not answering our prayers (based on our desired timetable) we can cling to the fact the Jesus is faithful and He will answer our prayer in His perfect timing and way.
Until next time blessings and healing