I have always been amazed at those with a dynamic prayer life. You know, those the Lord wakes up in the middle of the night to pray for someone on the other side of the world. The ones that pray through a crisis or trial with fervent desire for an answer from God. I am truly grateful for such prayer warriors, as they challenge me to pray more, and to pray as if I really wanted an answer from God according to what I am asking from Him. But like many, we tend to lose heart, or forget to continue to pray until we have an answer from God.
(Luke 18:1)…..Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,…..
Many people give up too easily in prayer. I know this to be true because it has happened in my Christian walk too. When we don’t see the answer almost immediately, we quit. Now, don’t get me wrong, I simply am implying that life gets busy and we just tend to forget sometimes.
Should we wonder what God thinks? I would guess that God is not pleased with this approach. Someone might say, “God knows my need. Why doesn’t He just give it to me, instead of playing games?” Whether you agree with God’s ways, or not: God is still in charge and makes the rules — not us. So, it does us no good to argue or complain. Better to just line up with God instead of fighting against His plan. Besides, in reality, God’s ways are perfect, it is just that we are often too immature and ignorant to understand all God is doing.
Scripture has many examples of people pressing in and receiving answers to prayer. We should never be quitters when it comes to prayer. It is God’s will to answer our prayers. He is the One who told us to pray. Here is an amazing thought, “God actually delights in answering our prayers.” You might ask, “Then why are there so many delays?” Well, it could be the result of several things. The Lord simply might have a different time schedule than ours or He may be involving more people in the answer He will give. He does not force people to do His will, but works with them patiently so they can see and do the right thing willingly. This takes time. He might just want us to learn patience, or redirect our desires. There is also an enemy, the devil, who hates us and is against us receiving our answer from God.
There are things that God is working in us while we are persevering in prayer. God’s plan is for us to grow up spiritually. God wants to enlarge our faith and encourage us to develop a closer relationship with Him. If every answer always came immediately, would we really press in and spend time drawing closer to God and studying His Word?
So keep on praying in faith as long as you are praying according to God’s Word. A delay, even a very long one, does not mean that God is saying no to your request.