Title: A Season of Waiting

Date: 2009-03-01

Reference: I Thes. 5: 16-18

Those individuals who have accomplished the most for God over the years, have been persons of prayer. William Carey was once criticized for spending so much time in prayer that he neglected his business. He replied: “Prayer, time spent with God, is much more important than laying up treasures on earth. Prayer” he said, “is my real business, cobbling shoes is a sideline that helps me pay expenses.” God honored Carey’s faith. He became a successful missionary and was used by God in India, Burma, and the East Indies.

Many years ago the Moravians organized two prayer groups, one for men and the other for women. Each prayer group consisted of 24 persons, a person praying every hour of the day. Prayers for renewal were offered up continuously 24 hours every day of the year. This prayer was unbroken for over 100 years. During this period the church grew, the modern mission movement began. The Moravians were able to lead John Wesley to a deeper understanding of Jesus and helped prepare Wesley for the revival that swept England and America. Later John Wesley spent at least two hours each day in prayer. Fannie Crosby who wrote over 8 thousand hymns spent many hours each day in prayer, as did Mother Teresa and many others.

We know each and every prayer we offer up to God is answered. God may say yes and God may say no, which is also a valid answer. The answer we dread the most is when God says wait. Not yet. Later. We are not so good at delayed gratification. Once we have made our minds up we don’t like to wait for anything.

Prayer is not our overcoming God’s reluctance or trying to change God’s mind. Prayer is learning what is the mind of God and asking accordingly. Prayer is our laying hold of God’s highest willingness. We pray seeking God’s will and God’s perfect timing. When we are frustrated, disappointed, and forced to wait, we continue to pray. God never shuts a door without a good reason. And God never shuts a door without opening a window. There are times when we have to sit back and admit God knows best.

We’re sometimes like the frantic woman who left her valuable diamond brooch in a hotel. She called and told the manager what had happened and asked him to go up and look for it. He found the brooch and came back to the phone to tell her the good news. She had grown impatient and hung up the phone before receiving her answer. Our prayers are often like that. We aren’t willing to wait on the Lord.

The Bible is clear that we must wait. God’s timing is perfect. The Bible says: “No one who waits for the Lord will be put to shame.” (Ps. 25:3) “If we wait for the Lord, He will help us.” (Prov. 20:22) “Blessed are those who wait for the Lord.”(Is. 30:18) “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him.” (Lam. 3:25) “I will wait for the Lord of my salvation.” (Micah 7:7) Well, you get the idea.

Some times it takes years for our prayers to be answered. Often they are not answered in just the way we think they should be. A devout mother prayed her son would be called into the ministry. Each night she asked God to call him and to use him in ministry. He grew into an earnest Christian man but he didn’t feel called to study for the ministry. Rather, he became a very successful banker. It seems his mother’s prayer was not answered.

Many years later, when her son’s will was read, he left much of his fortune to a Seminary for scholarships. Through his generosity many ministers would be trained. The mother’s prayer, though not granted, was answered.

George Mueller was called by God to pray for the salvation of his five closest friends. After five years of prayer one of them came to Christ. After ten years of prayer two more accepted a relationship with Jesus. 25 years after he began praying for his friends a fourth became a believer. Mueller prayed for the fifth friend for 52 years until his death. Perseverance in prayer is amazing.

By now you know delayed blessings are common. God keeps certain blessings back until it is the right time to send them. God’s delays are not always denials. In the Old Testament we read about a prayer Daniel offered up to God. Daniel prayed and fasted for three weeks without receiving an answer. An angel appeared to Daniel and said: “From the very first day, God heard your prayer.” God’s answer was delayed until the time was right. God promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations. The earth would be blessed by his decedents. Abraham believed what God promised. But the years went by and it’s hard to keep believing when old age overtakes you and nothing has happened. Abraham was 100 years old and his wife 90 before God gave them what He had promised.

In the New Testament we read about Zechariah and Elizabeth. The two of them prayed fervently for years, for a child. God gave them the unexpected joy of a son in their old age. This was a joy rarely experienced by couples their age and a joy multiplied by years of waiting. God saved the best for the last.

There are times in life when our dreams don’t come true, when some deep desire in our hearts has just not happened. We’ve all had a dream we’ve had to give up on. Some of our dreams are God given. We don’t know how or when, we just know it will happen because God has placed the dream in our hearts. There are times when God says no, that’s not my plan. And then there is that season of waiting. This time is often necessary because our time is not God’s time and God’s time is perfect. In those times when we are forced to wait we keep on praying, waiting for God to speak to us.

As we wait on the Lord, we give it all to God, our past regrets, our present problems, our future ambitions with our fears, dreams, weaknesses, habits, hurts and hang-ups. We put Jesus in the driver’s seat of life and we take our hands off the steering wheel. We will not fear because nothing under His control can ever be out of control.

A pastor friend of mine was very disappointed when he was not assigned to a church he really wanted to serve. This dream was dashed and he was hurt, angry, and did not understand. Hindsight helped him see this job was not a good fit for him. This particular congregation required characteristics and gifts he did not have. My friend eventually came to understand God is a big God, and God’s ways are beyond us.

Sometimes a prayer is not answered on the outside because there is work to be done on the inside. This inside, spiritual work is what the Lenten Season is all about. I read an article entitled: “Beyond Prayer Requests.” The article cautioned us against letting our human desire cloud the deeper work God wants to do in our lives. God is patient and God sometimes calls on us to wait. As we wait we may move closer to God, learning to trust in a far deeper manner than we could ever have imagined.

Our relationship, our friendship with God grows deeper without ability to trust Him no matter what circumstances we face. Too many of our prayers focus only on the physical and material needs and fail to deal with the deeper, inner needs of the soul.

God enjoys answering our prayers. God sometimes delays the answer to increase our faith and devotion and to accomplish His purposes at the right time. Again, God’s delays are not always God’s denials. As we continue in prayer we are prepared for the answer God will give. We find ourselves growing in Grace, even before the answer comes.

God uses unanswered prayer as a means of teaching us to rely on Him the God who knows our real needs and who is always faithful. Often when requests are not granted immediately we stop praying. We have learned to see prayer as a way to get something we want and we forget that unanswered prayer is still heard by God and God’s silence has a purpose.

When God says no or wait perhaps God wishes to do more than supply our requests. God wishes to draw us closer to Himself. A time of silence may even force us to reevaluate our request. An early church father taught about The Prayer of Relinquishment when the Spirit teaches us to wait patiently, to yield our will entirely to the will of God. In this time we listen to all God has to say, day by day. We learn to wait and pray as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane when he prayed: “Not my will but your will be done.” There are times when we let go and let God. We release our dreams in hope.

Sometimes the very dream we relinquish to God is given back to us in God’s own good time. As we read today: “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God for you.”

Too often when we pray we do not expect an answer. Most of us are not surprised when prayers go unanswered and we are surprised when prayers are answered. The opposite should be true. God answers all of our prayers. The answer could be yes. The answer might be no or wait. Even in those painful times we continue in fervent prayer.