When We’re Waiting for an Answer
Think about this. Each night we go to sleep and we give little thought to whether the next day will arrive. We just know that it will.
But tomorrow has never existed before. How can we be so sure it will come? In spite of that question, we don’t worry about whether it will be there when we wake up. We just know that it will. We don’t lie awake wondering what we’ll do if the day doesn’t dawn. We don’t make alternative plans in the event that there is a sudden change or an unexpected twist.
God always brings the new day. It’s always on time. It’s a new creation and a thing of beauty. The birds awaken and begin to sing. The sky melds from its dense blue-black to begin showing hints of pinks and purples, oranges and yellows The sun peeks over the horizon and then everything is seen in the light of the new day.
Psalm 65:8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.
Yet, we often don’t even think about it, do we? We wake up just expecting the day and we get ready and go about our business.
What if?…..What if we approached our deepest prayers in this way? What if we brought them before God, laid them at His feet and then rested, knowing and expecting that He will answer right on time and in the perfect way?
Psalm 143:8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
God is continually creating right before our eyes, and some of it has become so mundane to us that we miss it. We miss the extravagance of His blessing and the beauty of His creativity. Could it be that we miss His provision and His response to our prayers as well because we’re looking for other things?
Do we spend the night wrestling and worrying rather than resting in His faithfulness to always provide just what we need at the right time?
And we worry. We are consumed by our concerns. Yet the Lord of all creation is the Lord of our heart and He knows our burdens. He already has answers and He knows the perfect time and way in which He will deliver them. All we need to do is trust Him. And wait. We can rest secure knowing the God of creation knows our needs and He is the only one capable to meet them perfectly and the timing is HIs too. He’s never late. And His answers are never incomplete or lacking.
Psalm 5:3 In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.
Psalm 88:13 But I cry to you for help, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
It’s the waiting that we struggle with, isn’t it? Yet, when we go to sleep at night, we know the morning will come. We just have to wait the appropriate amount of time and then it will dawn.
Our hearts are often heavy for our sons and daughters, aren’t they? Whether it be the choices they’re making or the struggles they're facing, we wrestle in prayer on their behalf, pleading with the Lord for answers and deliverance. We love them so much, it consumes us. We hurt for them and we want to see things made better, made new. What if we allowed our prayer life- our conversations with God- to transform us, too?
Psalm 92:1-2 It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,
Did you read that? Read it again! “Proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,”
What if we approached prayer and expectation just that way. When we wake up, we remind ourselves of His love- He delivered the new day and He longs to give us good gifts. And then, at night, we take time to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness- we can lie down and sleep because we know He will bring the new day- He always does.
If God can create and deliver a whole new day, every day without fail, giving us a day that never existed before, that we are powerless to control its arrival and departure, and then He guides us through it, He can surely answer our biggest prayers and carry our heaviest burdens, can’t He?
In ancient Israel, watchmen would stand on the walls of Jerusalem and would keep watch for enemies in order to call out and put the city on alert for attack. The city could sleep in peace because the watchmen did their work. Likewise, the watchmen would call out when morning dawned, waking everyone to the new day. In the dark of the pre-dawn hours, people might stir and become restless, wondering how soon it would be until they would hear the call, and then it would come! They waited, not wondering ‘if’, but ‘when’. They were confident in the answer.
Psalm 130:6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
We may have the most heartbreaking situation, the most dire need, but Friends, God sees it and He’s not indifferent to it. He’s creating the perfect response that fits His plan and will bring Him glory. And isn’t that the point? He will reveal it at the perfect time and in a way that sets our heart at rest.
Let’s be waiting in faith. Watching with trust. Let’s be confident that just as God brings the new day without fail, He will answer us and our deepest prayers in the same, faithful-God way.
Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Write out a prayer today that not only details your heart’s burdens, but affirms the goodness, faithfulness and perfect deliverance of God. As Psalm 92:1-2 tells us, let’s proclaim God’s love in the morning. Then, when you go to sleep tonight, proclaim His faithfulness; remind yourself of Who He is.
Finally, pray Psalm 5:3 and wait in expectation. The Lord is working. We don’t see the dawn in the darkest hour of the night, but we know it’s coming because God is faithful. Cling to His faithfulness and proclaim His love. Don’t give in to the enemy who wants us to fear the darkness will endure forever.
Pray without ceasing, friends. And then pray more.
Dead Ends and Deliverance
Psalm 142:1-2 “A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer. “I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.””
1 Samuel 24 gives the account of David when he was running for his life. King Saul was quickly gaining on him, seeking to cut him down and rid himself of David, his biggest competition.
David and his men sought refuge in the desert of En Gedi. They knew the caves there were vast and plentiful and they could seek a likely refuge that would hide them well. But, Saul and his men were scouting the area, aware that David was there, somewhere. In the midst of the hunt, Saul entered one of the caves and walked into the very cave in which David was hiding. Didn’t God know? Couldn’t He see? Why would He allow David’s enemy to get so close…and why would he allow Saul to block the only exit?!
Of course God knew exactly where David was and He allowed the close encounter. Really, David had the upper hand and could have taken Saul’s life, but refused to harm the Lord’s anointed.
Look at Psalm 142 and read David’s prayer, “I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.” David knew he was in trouble. But He trusted the Lord more than he feared his enemy. He knew there was only one way of escape, and that would have to be provided supernaturally by the Lord.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed with sorrow at the path your son or daughter has chosen? Or maybe you’re filled with concern at the choices they are making. Maybe you worry… a lot. You have fear for their safety and live with a continuous sense of dread. You don’t see a way out, and it consumes you.
Cry out to the Lord. He hears you! Lift up your voice for mercy, both for you and for your sons and daughters. Pour out your complaint. Tell the Lord your trouble. He cares for you. He longs to hear you cry out to Him! Much like we hope that our sons and daughters would come to us when they are troubled, our Heavenly Father longs for the same!
Trust the Lord. What may seem like a dead end to us is an opportunity for the Lord to show His divine protection and intervention. Sometimes the Lord brings us to a dead end so that there is nowhere to look but to Him. Trust that He leads our sons and daughters, even when it seems to us they’re headed into disaster. Cry out to the Lord and trust Him, friends. He sees. He knows. He is still in control.
Today, list out those burdens that weigh heavily on your heart and then pray through them and tell the Lord your troubles. He will provide strength and mercy for today. He will provide a way of escape and He will be glorified through it.
Pray without ceasing.