Scripture

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

~Colossians 4:2, NLT

Quote

God answers all prayers in different ways: Sometime He says yes, sometimes no, and at other times He says wait a while.

~Calvin Miller

There is a fourth answer that Miller does not mention: [1] Yes [2] No [3] Wait and [4] Are You kidding! You have to admit, we have been known to ask for ridiculous things that may have created a chuckle in heaven. Have you ever prayed for a field goal to be good. I mean, you got down on your knees and prayed and when the kick was good, you jumped to your feet and said “Yes”! I believe that is probably one of those times where heavens response was, “Are you kidding!” Most of us are not good at praying. I am not talking about saying grace before a meal or now I lay be down to sleep just before you retire at night; I am talking about fervent, heart-felt prayer that moves heaven. Perhaps the hardest two verses in the Bible for me to believe is James 5:17-18, Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years. Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. I may be as human as Elijah but I have never moved heaven the way he did. You don’t know how many times I have asks God to give me the power in prayer that Elijah exercised. But it could be that coveting the POWER is the problem. Perhaps we should covet the PASSION.

Do you love to pray? Do you have a passion for prayer? Are you devoted to prayer? I will say this, “When prayer becomes a passion, time will not be a factor.” I have a strong conviction that the most popular answer is “Wait.” Sometimes God says “Yes” immediately, but that doesn’t happen often. Sometimes He says “No” emphatically like He did with Paul’s thorn in the flesh, but that doesn’t happen often either. Most of the time, His answer is “Wait.” We are not only waiting for God, we are waiting with God. Waiting with God is a treasure within itself. Waiting alone can be tedious and boring but when you are in the presence of someone you love and someone who loves you infinitely more, it makes waiting a pleasure.

Go back to your courting days: what occupied your mind most, the red light that delayed you, or that sweet thing sitting as close to you as she could possible get? I know the answer. I had a brother in law that was smitten by my sister; he couldn’t wait to get to the wedding altar. His famous line was, “Man, everything is going to be alright when we say those I do’s.” You don’t mind waiting when you are in the presence of someone you love and someone who loves you. Under the right circumstances, waiting can be a joy.

Extra

Prayer From the Valley of Vision

“Deliver me from every evil habit, every longing for sin, everything that dims the brightness of Your grace in me, and from everything that prevents me from taking delight in You.” {page 77}