Have you ever wondered why the Lord wants us to pray? After all, He controls everything, and His plans won’t fail because of our lack of intercession. Yet amazingly, through prayer, He allows us the privilege of being involved in His work. Prayer connects inadequate people to an all-sufficient God.
One of the reasons for prayer is that it teaches us to depend on God. That’s why Philippians 4:6 tells us to talk with our Father about everything. James 4:2 adds that sometimes the reason we don’t receive is because we haven’t bothered to ask. However, this doesn’t mean we’ll automatically receive whatever we request. God isn’t subservient to us—He works all things after the counsel of His will, not ours.
Another reason we should pray is because God wants us to bear much fruit. If we abide in Christ and His words abide in us, our requests will align with His will, and we’ll receive what we ask (John 15:7). Then our faith will be strengthened to trust Him in even greater ways. And the more we rely on Him to provide, protect, and guide us, the deeper our relationship with Him will grow.
Practicing patience is difficult because it often goes against our expectations and desires for immediate results. This is especially true when we are waiting on the Lord and His timetable doesn’t match our own. In such situations, it’s important to remember we can’t go wrong waiting for Him. Blessings will come in God’s good time when we refuse to run ahead of Him.
We ask the Lord for what we think we need, based on our limited information. But His understanding is infinite. At times God simply says no to our requests. In other cases, He may adjust our desire to match His. And sometimes He answers in a way that looks nothing like what we requested, but it will be exactly what we need. A submissive heart accepts the omnipotent Father’s gentle redirection, recognizing that He is always right.
Waiting patiently on the Lord strengthens our faith in Him: We learn to rest in His loving care and accept that whatever He gives us is best. It’s also a witness to others, who see His care and faithfulness to us and may choose to put their trust in Him as well.
Do you trust God? Most believers will quickly answer yes. But stop and consider if that’s true in your prayer life. When your need is urgent but God isn’t answering as soon as you desire, do you still trust Him? Scenarios like this lead some believers to doubt that the Lord has His children’s best interests at heart.
However, Isaiah 64:4 assures us that God “acts on behalf of those who wait for him” (NIV). Joseph had to wait in very difficult circumstances before the Lord set him free from prison and gave him authority as a ruler in Egypt (Gen. 37:18-28; Gen. 39:19-20). From an outsider’s viewpoint, it didn’t look as if God was acting on Joseph’s behalf. But from a heavenly perspective, events were right on track (50:20).
The same is true in your life. During a period of waiting, God could be preparing you for a future answer that will come at just the right time. Or He might be teaching you to trust Him so you can walk by faith rather than sight. Another possibility is that your desire would ultimately involve something against His will, and withholding it serves as protection.
You may never find out why God delays answering your prayer, but you can always trust in His goodness, wisdom, and love.
Many people give little thought to the long-term consequences of their choices. As a result, they can sacrifice future blessings for the sake of present pleasures. But this is nothing new; we see it in the very first book of the Old Testament.
Swayed by his immediate needs and desires, Esau failed to value the privilege of his birthright. In those days, the eldest son received a double portion of the inheritance from his father, along with leadership of the family. But in this particular situation, there was much more at stake—the birthright contained blessings of the covenant God had made with Abraham. Esau didn’t care enough about his spiritual heritage, so he thoughtlessly sold it for a meal.
Being far removed from that particular transaction makes it easy to see the folly of Esau’s choice. But what about you? Are you sacrificing God’s spiritual blessings for short-term gain? Maybe you’re spending long hours working or playing but reserve little time to spend in God’s Word and prayer.
You can protect your future by yielding to the Spirit’s control and pursuing what Scripture considers most valuable: knowing, loving, obeying, and serving God. This investment reaps long-term blessings that continue into eternity.
When you think of endurance, what comes to mind? We usually associate it with persistence through hardship, like the mindset of a marathon runner pushing through the pain to finish the race. Yesterday, we saw that Hebrews 12:1 encourages us to run with this kind of determination. The implication is that we are going to face hardships and suffering in the Christian life.
Our goal should be to remain faithful and obedient to Christ through every situation. That is possible because we know our suffering is temporary and we have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven. But in the meantime, we need the right attitude. Are we to grit our teeth, mutter, and complain all the way to heaven? Certainly not!
The writer of Hebrews commended the suffering Christians for their joyful attitude. They didn’t enjoy the pain and hardship, but knew that it was all part of God’s plan for their good and ultimately they’d have a great reward in heaven.
We, too, can endure hardship with joy in the Lord, who comforts and strengthens us through it and promises to bring us safely to glory.
