I’ve been praying the same prayer, every day, for the past 6 years. It is a need, a request, a desire. It hasn’t gone away and it needs to go away. There are times I take my request to the alter, or kneel beside my bed, or talk with God on the way to work. Sometimes I question God, “Aren’t you tired of hearing about this? ‘Cause if You are, You can fix it, You know!” And day after day after day my plea for help goes unanswered.
I’m sure you’ve been there. You may be there with me now. Nothing is happening and you’ve prayed for so long and so hard.
Pushing through when God is silent can be discouraging. We want to believe that He hears us, but day after day with no results speaks to the contrary. It is easy to want to give-up, throw in the towel, and crumble with the world; but, God tells us differently.
In 1 John 5:14-15, God reminds us that He does hear our prayers, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.”
I remember when I was a little girl. Silence was hard for me – I liked noise and activity. I seemed to thrive in chaos and loved to talk and listen to others talking. Silence made me squirm. It made me uncomfortable and insecure, especially in church, when Pastor Rush would have a moment of silent prayer before he would lead the congregation in prayer. I couldn’t sit still. I couldn’t keep from clucking my tongue or clicking my heels or popping my knuckles. But nothing, nothing is more uncomfortable than the silence of unanswered prayer.
Ephesians 6:18, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…”
Perseverance…persistence…
My grandmother used to tell me there were three things she knew for sure, 1) God hears our prayers 2) Prayer is the answer even when no answer is given 3) God’s time is not our time.
Know that in His silence, He is creating exactly what He needs to answer in the way He knows is best for you and for me. Hold on. Push through. Persevere through prayer.
