I don’t know about you but I am constantly reminding myself that God often answers prayers only after all hope seems gone, and we have exhausted all of our known resources. Why is that? We don’t want to burden God? Some actually feel that way, but hey! If He has numbered the hairs on your head; then, please don’t split hairs with Him over what He may or may not listen to. Okay? All righty then…
Maybe because secretly we don’t really trust Him for what we’re asking…? Why? Because, we know our motives, and we’re just hoping He doesn’t, but we know He knows, and that’s crazy, but I still do it anyway. I’m so messed up.
Perhaps, we’re thinking that because He’s a loving God He will overlook my less than sterling motives. So, what if I ask God to let me win the lottery. God’s into lotteries, right? That’s how I got selected! Not. That’s dumb.
Oh! Okay! Maybe I need to call and share my prayer request with someone that I feel is closer to God than I am. That person doesn’t know my motives, and God will surely answer them for me. Of course, if He doesn’t answer their prayer that kind of means that I might be a little better than her, or even worse, she didn’t pray and what kind of friend is that? That’s win, win (if she prayed), but not if I don’t get what I ask. No, that’s dumb too.
Oh, I love this! Have you ever tried calling a real, cool Christian friend and they’re not home; so you become frantic thinking the rapture happened and your friend is gone? Believe me, I have! Oh, the relief and joy when I caught up with them later! No, I’m not suggesting a second rapture. Goodness.
Hey! Chill! The lost don’t have such concerns and anxieties! So, I say rejoice, and again I say it… rejoice! Man, oh, man we’re often just like little kids who get separated from their parents in the store; it’s just that the store in this case is the world, and God’s our Father. We find ourselves convicted about something… maybe slipping that candy bar into our pocket, and we start looking. When we can’t find Him, we become a little frantic. That’s good. God sees us and is smiling. Don’t you see that great big old mirror that reflects off His throne and back onto us? Just like the one in Walgreens; but a lot bigger. I can see my grandkiddies on the other aisle; they can’t me. They don’t know to look.
As for why God tarries in answering us? In some cases, we need to seriously repent if we know our motives are impure or are contrary to Scripture. In other cases, He waits until the precise moment to answer us so that we know without a doubt it was He that answered us; not us by our own convention, manipulation or resources; our friends or any other thing. Everything that He does, He does through us in stark reality so we can bring Him the unmistakable and fully sanctified praise that He deserves!
Now chill.
