How Much Longer, Lord??

Have you ever felt like this baby bird? You open your mouth wide, cry out to God and you wait, and wait and wait for His answer?

Like David says in Psalm 13:

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How do you cope while you are waiting on God to answer??

  

Are you in a holding pattern right now? I have been waiting on the answers to some of my prayers for YEARS! Many of you have, too, I am sure--especially prayers for family members and loved ones to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Or perhaps you are waiting for a job, a promotion, or even a healing.

How can we wait well?

Like the baby bird above, I have been crying out to the Lord over certain issues and hearing silence. So I asked the Lord what He wanted me to learn in the meantime:

"It is in the waiting that you are strengthened by learning to depend on Me. Waiting builds faith muscles."

I John 5:4 says:
"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith" (ESV).

How do we activate our faith to overcome the discouragement of waiting?

I am reminded of Paul and Silas who sang and praised God while waiting in a prison cell. Waiting on answers to our prayers sometimes feels like we are in a prison, too.


How can I free myself from these chains of discouragement?

I decided that focusing on what has not yet happened, on the prayer that has not yet been answered was counterproductive. It was a faith smasher, not a faith builder. 

This is what I did instead: 

• I thanked the Lord for all His blessings--the beautiful creation He made just for us to enjoy, for the food, clothing and shelter He has provided and all the answers to prayers He has already fulfilled.
• I declared: "I trust You, Lord, in these circumstances, while I wait. Strengthen my faith and my dependence on You."

I reminded myself that God will answer in His timing.

My encouragement to you is to persevere in prayer and to cultivate faith through a grateful heart, through praise and worship and by focusing on who God is--a faithful Father. He has heard your prayers. He will answer.