God always answers our prayers. He may say yes, no, or wait. Wait does not mean no. It means wait.
If God says, “Wait,” He has a purpose in your wait.
If you are waiting for an answer to prayer, God does not want you to give up! Jesus explains this in The Parable of the Persistent Widow.
"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8
So, does God sometimes make us wait? Yes!
- Abraham waited 25 years for the birth of his son, Isaac. (Genesis)
- Joseph waited 13 years before becoming the 2nd-in-command in Egypt. (Genesis 15-30)
- Moses wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. (Numbers 14:33-35)
- David waited 15 years from the time he was anointed until he became king. (1 Samuel 16 through 2 Samuel 2)
God used this time of waiting to teach them perseverance. Romans 5:4 tells us that perseverance forges character, and character produces hope. Hope is essential because it gives us strength. When the time was right, God answered their prayer.
(The Greek word in verse 1 for “give up” is enkakeō. It means to give up, become discouraged, or lose heart.)
Jesus ended the lesson with this question:
“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (v. 8)
If Jesus returns today, will He find you giving up and losing heart? Or will He find you persisting in prayer, no matter how long you’ve been waiting? Do you trust God to answer your prayer when the time is right?
You may have been waiting 20 years, but your answer could come today! If not, remember this: your answer will come when the time is right.
In His Love, Cindy
Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
(This post was inspired by my pastor’s Sunday sermon.)
All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.
RealChristianWomen.blog
Real Christian Women 