Keep On Waiting!

Have you ever prayed about a situation, and you feel it’s taking too long before God answers your prayers? Take heart, God’s timing is for our good. He knows the future, we don’t. 

Generally, people just don’t like to wait on anything. Many want things to happen  strictly on their terms. However, waiting and patience are important disciplines of prayer activity. Waiting requires faith, patience, understanding, and hope. Believers who pray and wait on God will surely reap rewards for their patience.

Some prayers appear to be answered more quickly than others. Why? Only our sovereign God knows the reasons. We must also be aware that God’s timing is always perfect. And this in itself should strengthen and inspire our faith. 

There are great benefits while waiting on God’s answers to our prayers. Waiting on God helps us maintain a positive attitude because we completely trust Him for the answers. King David exhorts us: “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 27:14).

During a recent Church sermon, my pastor outlined four things happen while waiting on God: 1) God keeps working. 2) Keep watch and keep walking. 3) Keep your eyes on God’s promises. 4) When the wait is over, keep worshiping. These things mean the answers will come at any time.

We can’t get away from the fact that God knows exactly what is best for us. Therefore, we must patiently await the answers. God will never disappoint His children. He keeps His word, fulfills all his promises, and rewards those who wait on Him. David said to God, “Indeed, none who waits for you shall be put to shame” (Psalm 25:3).    

Isaiah 40:31 exhorts us to wait on the Lord.  “They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” 

We shall renew our strength. God is fully aware His people need strength renewal each day, and He will sustain us accordingly.  

We shall mount up with wings like eagles. There are times when things tend to distract us from keeping our focus on God. The eagle soars to keep its focus on its prey with intent and purpose. We need to constantly keep our focus on God, His will, and His purposes. He in turn will make us soar just like the eagle in flight.  

We shall run and not be weary . . . walk and not faint. Endurance is the key here. God will give the empowerment and ability to go the distance He desires of us. And at God’s appointed time we will have the answers to our prayers if we do not lose hope or courage. 

God is the sovereign Creator of time and space. However, this does not mean He must be subject or bound by it. As God, He knows the very best way to provide correct answers to our prayers. How many times we prayed asking God to answer in a certain way, and He did not. Later we realized it was good for Him not to answer as we had hoped. Let’s remember, God’s “will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (See Matt. 6:9-13).

Prayer means communicating with our heavenly Father and making our requests known to Him and then await His response; whether sooner or later. Prayer works with God and God works through prayer. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working“ (James 5:16). Note, prayer “has great power as it is working.” With this in mind, we should not hesitate to pray, and leave the consequences entirely to God.