Waiting on God For Unanswered Prayers
One of the biggest challenges one can face as a Christian or believer in God is holding on to your faith in the midst of a difficult situation that you have prayed about, fasted about, cried about, pleaded with God about and which still remains unsolved. Our unanswered prayers can leave us anxious, questioning and drained. Maybe you’ve prayed for years to have a child, to find a job, to change your job, to find your soulmate, to get a promotion you deserved, for you, a family member or a friend to recover from some illness, for relief with your financial situation, for relief in a bad marriage, for deliverance from an abusive situation or relationship, for a change in the behaviour of a delinquent child, or some other unbearable situation.
However, it is in these very difficult times that we must hold on to our faith the strongest and keep trusting God despite the fact that, in the natural or physical, we have no sight of relief. We have to keep trusting that God is working things out on our behalf in the best way possible and in His perfect timing. It is not vain hope! For as scripture states, “As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11).”
When Martha and Mary’s brother Lazarus was sick and about to die, the sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him to come quickly because as they put it, “Lord your dear friend is sick (John 11:3).” However, Jesus arrived when, as far as they could see, it was too late. Jesus arrived when their brother was already dead! And we can very well understand Martha’s anguish when she said to Him, “If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died! (John 11:21).” We feel her powerlessness and understand her questioning God, as we have sometimes done, about why he could not have intervened earlier or solved our problem already. Nevertheless we have consolation in the fact that God knows our difficult situation and will assist us, for Jesus solemnly warns but consoles us, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).”
Corrie Ten Boom blesses us with her wisdom after making it through one of history’s human horrors, as she states, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” So although you may have already waited on God an extremely long time, as you continue to wait on God, remind yourself each morning, “I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future (Author Unknown).”
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