How often do we pray to our Father for an answer and then go on ahead without waiting for an answer?
Learn how to hear Him and why you want to wait on His answer.
Let me share a story about the disciples doing that with Yeshua.
John 6
We begin with Yeshua retreating into the hills alone again to get away from the crowd. It was not His time yet. It became dark and the disciples decided to get in their boat and cross over without Him.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat and set out across the lake toward Capernum. By now it was dark, Yeshua had not yet joined them, and the sea was getting rough, because a strong wind was blowing. They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Yeshua approaching the boat, walking on the lake! They were terrified; but he said to them, “Stop being afraid, it is I.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and instantly the boat reached the land they were heading for.
They didn’t wait on Yeshua they went on without Him into the dark and a storm came and they were afraid. He came to them and calmed the storm and their fears Immediately they were out of the storm and back on dry land.
Points here:
- Wait on the Lord
- He will calm the storm in your life
- Immediately you will be back on dry land.
How often do you pray and not wait for the answer? John 6 is a great example
How many of us can say that we wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer, but then get frustrated when it seems like God isn’t answering fast enough to suit us? Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” In other words, don’t just pray without waiting for an answer. Be still and wait for His answer no matter how long it takes.
Another example in John 6 will show us how to be patient while waiting on the Lord. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
John 6 is a great example of impatience and not waiting for Lord
The disciples were ready to depart but Jesus went up to pray for a time. In their humanness, they decided to go ahead without Jesus. How often do we decide to go on without Jesus and run into disaster? Despite the uncertainty of when the Lord may respond to our needs, we must still have faith that He understands and is working in His own time and way. As long as we maintain our connection with God through prayer and continual repentance for sins, He will remain present in our lives showing us the way in due course, and He will forgive us when we recognize our mistakes and repent for going on without Him. So when you are ready and Jesus isn’t, be still and know that He is praying for us and the Father is working a plan that we can’t see. Trust Him and wait…
We can learn from this example to be patient in our prayers
God is always listening to our prayers, but He works in His own perfect timing. When we cry out for help, and answers to our prayers don’t come quickly, it’s important to remember that with faith and patience, God will provide us with what we need in His own time. We should never feel discouraged or hopeless – no matter how long we have been waiting – because God knows just what we need and will provide accordingly! Remembering these truths can help us stay focused on faith through the hardships associated with the waiting process.
Sometimes we need to go through difficult times in order to grow closer to God
Jesus suffered on this earth, and so will we. Difficult times are inevitable for us all, however in these moments God can use them to draw us closer to Him. Ask any believer and they will tell you that in their most difficult struggles, moments of doubt, pain, and hurt were transformed into a strong deep relationship with God. Not only did these situations help them strengthen their faith, but they also learned more compassion than they ever would have thought possible as the Father gave them His Shalom peace in the process. As it is said in the book of James “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (NLT). When we go through trying times we can cling to this hope knowing that our loving Father is using it all to work together for our good. Let’s turn our fear and worry into faith-filled prayers as He works to bring us near to Him!
Other times, God will answer our prayers right away
When we pray, God promises to always hear us. Sometimes he answers our prayers right away, which can be a blessing in and of itself. When this happens, it is an indication of God’s powerful love and tender mercies every day. We should take comfort knowing that even though immediate answers are not always what He gives us, He can give us a peace beyond our understanding with whatever answer He does reveal. Sometimes His answers are better than our expectations and hopes. Trusting He will do what is best for you comes with great peace and joy. It is not for us to try and decipher what His will is in the moment—all we need to do is come before Him with sincerity and faith, for He will show us great things.
It is important to have faith in God and trust that He will answer our prayers in His perfect timing
Having faith in God is essential to leading a fruitful life. It is when our faith falters, or even worse fails, that we can find ourselves overwhelmed and struggling in our everyday lives causing us to resort to listening to the world’s lies about His truth. No matter how difficult the circumstance may be, it is important to understand that God always hears us, sees us, and answers our prayers in His perfect timing. Our job as devoted believers is to trust Him and stay on the path that He has laid out for us. This can provide true peace and clarity in the midst of any turmoil we may be facing. Keep your gaze fixed on God and never look down from where He has called you; when you place your faith fully in Him nothing will be able to come between you and your loving Creator.
In summary, we see from John 6:1-15 that Jesus is our bread of life. He provides us with all that we need. Even when it feels like God isn’t answering our prayers, we need to have faith and trust that He will answer them in His perfect timing. Sometimes we go through difficult times so that we can grow closer to God. Other times, He answers our prayers right away. It is important to turn back to the Father, repent, study the whole Bible from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation, and pray often. Through mental health difficulties trust the Father in all circumstances because he always knows what is best for us even if His answer isn’t what we wanted or expected at first glance.
What a delightful thought!
I invite you to search the Truth yourself. Test it. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Please go to your Bible and study the entire story. See firsthand what His word says and what He wants to show you. I always check several versions to allow the Spirit to show me the difference and truth. I recommend you do the same.
Enjoy pondering that thought today!
God bless you