Will We Ever Get There?

Do you remember as a child on a long trip ever asking this question? Didn’t the trip seem endless. You ride and ride and with each hill or corner, there’s still miles of road ahead to drive to get to your destination?

As a child, when my family drove to visit family in west Texas, my sister and I used to count water towers! It did help to pass the time!

Have you ever asked this same question about the prayers of your heart? When will we get there? To the answer, the resolution, the healing. We ask this about prayers we’ve prayed for YEARS. Sometimes we think the Lord will never answer!

During my quiet time this morning, I had calls from both of our daughters updating us on what’s going on in their lives, families, and work. After hanging up from the second one, I thought, “Lord, I am SO blessed.”

Now, if any of you know much about our story (many former posts share about some of it), you know life has been hard for us, as it has for you as well. Some prayers have been answered quickly, many others it has taken years to see God’s answer, and still others we continue to pray about, trusting God with each one.

I really felt led today to just tell you…DO NOT GIVE UP. DO NOT STOP PRAYING! Even though we cannot put a time limit on God’s response, nor predict the way in which He will answer, we can totally trust that He cares more than we do about each of these prayers.

In Matthew 7:7-11, Jesus says…

“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.”

We are to keep on asking, keep on knocking, keep on seeking. But in the wait, keep on growing your relationship with Him. That is the foundation of all our prayers. Getting to know Him, learning to trust Him in the midst of each concern, growing more in love with Him as He guides us and matures us. The greatest blessing of this relationship with Jesus is joy and peace, even during the times we are bearing heavy burdens, times when we are desperate for answers. Once you experience this, you truly marvel that Philippians 4:4-7 is reality in your life:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Then, you can look around you and ask, who else needs to experience this peace and joy? Who else has a heavy burden? Who else has waited years for an answer? Who needs your story to encourage them in their story?

Who will you share with today?

Banner photo by Rutger Leistra on Unsplash