The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
- 2 Peter 3:9
Have you ever anxiously prayed for something then felt frustrated that your prayers seem to go unanswered? I have. There are things that I have prayed for a long time and wondered when God would help me with those matters. I trust in the Lord, but let's be honest, I'm not a patient person to begin with. But if there is anything I have learned through my faith, it is that God has a plan.
The Lord is waiting.
Sometimes He is waiting for the right moment, the right opportunity, and the right place and time to answer our prayers. I think, as well, that a lot of the waiting is for me to mature as a person to be ready to receive the answer to the prayers. There are sometimes lessons to be learned, some growing up to do, or just being in the right mindset and place in life to be ready for what I am asking for. My heart and spirit have to arrive at the right place of humility and repentance, with the wisdom and experience needed. So sometimes, God answers our prayers with the answer, "Not Yet".
Or maybe, what I prayed for or wanted is not the right thing to begin with and God has a better plan for us, and is just waiting for us to discover it. I know He knows me better than I know myself, and when I allow myself to trust God and to freefall into His guidance, He will catch me and lead me to the right path.
God is patient, and He is waiting for us to come to Him and be ready to receive the plans He has for us. He is waiting for us to mature and repent, such that He can save and guide us. My friend recently told me about her regular car rides with her children. Her kids have very little concept of time and five minutes feel like eternity. There are times when she has barely pulled out of the driveway and the kids are already asking, "Are we there yet?". Even though half an hour may seem a short time to get to a destination, for the children, half an hour amounts for a greater percentage of their lifetime than ours. Half an hour feels like an eternity.
The same could be said for us. God created the world. Our lifetime is but a speck in the timeline of the universe. What feels like eternity is but a moment in God's existence.
God will answer our prayers, but may be not in the way that we imagined, and not in the timeline that we imagine. But we need to do our part and live with humility. Any parent knows that it's best to reward children when they are behaving well, or after they have completed the chores they have been asked to do. So similarly , we need to ready ourselves by repenting, embracing God, and following His instructions. God is not slow. He is just waiting for us.
Reflection: Which prayer have you been waiting to be answered? Ask God to help you come to a place of repentance and guide you to where you need to be in life.
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As you listen to worship and praise music on Christian Calm Radio, also check out our weekly devotionals. This week, we will study God's patience as He waits for us to come to repentance to answer our prayers.