Who likes to wait? I don’t like to wait, and I’m sure that I am not alone on this one. We live in a world today where we have to wait for very little. However, when we pray to the Lord for, well, anything, we usually have to wait for the answer. Waiting is especially difficult if we are praying for deliverance from a hard situation, or the healing of a health issue, or in anticipation of something. Psalm 27 is a psalm of fearless trust in God. It is the last verse in that psalm that I want to focus on, verse 14, which says, “Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”
When we have to wait on an answer to prayer, it does not mean that God is ignoring us. He sees with an eternal perspective and purpose that we do not have. Waiting could mean that the timing is not right, or the request is not right, or you are not right. We do know that we serve a faithful and loving God who keeps his promises and will not do anything for us that is not in our best interest or aligned with His perfect will (Matt. 7:9-11, James 4:3, 1 John 5:14-15).
Unfortunately, we can start to lose heart and become discouraged when we have to wait. Jesus knew this which is why He gave us the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18. The first verse states, “Now he was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart…”
What are we to do when we pray and don’t receive an answer on our timeline? I think it all comes down to trust. Do we truly trust God? Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” So, when we pray, let us trust in the Lord, be strong and take courage, and wait for the Lord to answer our prayer.