Believing God’s promises is easy. But it is different when you have to walk on it through pain and heart aches to see it come to pass.
Some days seem that everything is perfect in my life even though my circumstances of pain and fear still linger. There are also days when it is hard to see His promises as promises to be fulfilled. Moments of great doubts and hopelessness just come around unexpectedly.
I need to remember that God controls everything and that He is not surprised with whatever I am going through.
Paul, in his desperation asked the Lord thrice to heal him from his infirmity.
“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me,“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. “ 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
Maybe this is also what the Lord wants me to believe. Or maybe the Lord knows that I need to learn to depend on Him alone that’s why He delays to answer my call. I don’t know why, but I know that when God delays His answers, there is a better plan for me.
A few days ago, after contemplating on the things that I could not change, the Lord made me realized that I need to trust Him more. I need to have faith because He has his reasons for making me walk through this path. When God delays His answers, there is a purpose. When God says “wait,” there is a reason.
What I have learned from this? That when God delays His answer:
He changes our perspective
For months, I have focused on my healing so much that it occupies my mind whenever I pray to God. I failed to recognize that my prayer must be focused on Him first before myself. But just like Paul, I am able to understand that God’s ways are not my ways. His thoughts are not my thoughts (Isaiah 55:8), but I can still delight in Him and in time, He will give me the desire of my heart. I still pray for healing. I still want to be healed. But if this “thorn in the flesh” is what glorifies God, then I am confident that His strength will sustain me as I go through this journey.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. -Romans 12:2
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” -Colossians 3:2
He molds our character
They say that it is not our the situation that determines our attitude but our response. I found it true. Being in this journey makes me feel impatient, doubtful, and worrywart. Praying for the same over and over again is not enticing. However, it is one of the true tests of godly character.
Will I still continue to trust God if I don’t see His answers? Will I still be joyful despite the struggle to live in doubts and dismay? Will I believe that He loves me when heartaches are my daily companion?
With all of these questions, I need to be reminded that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28).
Because God delays His answer, I understand now why Isaiah said that “we are the clay, and He is the potter; and all of us are the work of His hand “ (Isaiah 64:8). Clay is meant to be molded by the potter in order to make a beautiful artifact. In the same way, God molds us to be like Him as we get closer to Him.
He gives us new desires
I desired to get well, so I could work again. But as the Lord delays the answer to my prayer of healing, I get exposed to things that I have not even imagined I could experience pertaining to the things of God. Being exposed in the ministry helps me a lot to see that there is more to life than pursuing a career or building a good career in the world. As the Lord reveals himself to me, the more I long to serve Him until He would tell me that my purpose in this life is done. Time flies. Redeeming the time for His glory is the best thing to do.
The desires to learn and gain knowledge of the world to be successful in life is replaced with the desire to know God more and to see His wondrous works. The longing to thrive as how the world entices me to be “someone” is now the desire to see how God still want to use me in every possible way I can.
I have not really thought that I would enjoy ministry. Now, I see how rewarding, exciting, and joyful serving the Lord in the ministry. Though, trials and pains don’t come away, the joy of serving the Lord outweighs all of those.
As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? -Psalm 42:1-2
Life experiences of great sorrows, deep lamentations, and unending griefs and trials draw us closer to God in a different way. We begin to understand more why God tested Abraham or destined David to always find himself surrounded by enemies. For in the end, these two men who had experienced God so deeply through pain and sufferings became the righteous friend of God and a man after His own heart.
Such a great testimony that in the Lord, “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed’ (2 Corinthians 4:8).
When He delays to answer your prayer, what is in it for you?
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