Where Is The Answer?
When my daughter was really young she was given a Cinderella doll that sang a couple of songs about your dreams coming true. She also had a sing along toy and a hand held Cinderella game that played the same song.
At the end of the song, of the sing along toy, Cinderella gets her dream puppy.
One day I found my daughter in her room with a sad look on her face. I asked her what was wrong and she told me the song wasn’t true. That dreams don’t come true.
She explained to me she had dreamed of getting a puppy and it never happened.
How do you explain to a three or four year old that they are “only” a few years old?
It just so happened that after years of hoping, I had recently seen my dream come true of being published. So I was able to explain that sometimes dreams don’t happen right away. And look how old mommy was before her dream came true. Well, to a little kid, my age can seem, well…a long ways away.
I also explained I wasn’t a mommy until later in life. And yes, it felt like that dream would never come true, but it happened.
I can honestly tell you, there were days, when I was waiting that I felt just like my daughter did when she was so sad about her dreams.
The Bible tells us that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. Jesus also tells us the story about a lady who keeps going before a mean judge over and over again until finally he gives her the request. And Jesus asked if your children ask for bread will you give them a stone instead? How much more will your Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him?
There are plenty of other verses that say pretty much the same thing.
But, what about those times when you pray and pray and pray with no answer in sight?
The answer could be, “NO”, but “no” isn’t being accepted. God may have a completely different plan.
I’ve had those “no” answers that are sometimes hard to figure out. And I finally reach the conclusion to trust that He is God, He is the one in control. And to believe what the Bible says, about all things work for the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Or the answer could be, WAIT, it’s not the proper time yet.
I remember when I had loud noises in my head. It was so loud I could hardly think, sometimes I’d be on my knees pleading for it to go away. Day after day I prayed. I tried to fix it myself. I tried all sorts of different things, but nothing worked. And then one day, we went to a doctor someone had told us about. I really didn’t expect what happened, but when we left his office a few hours later, the noise was GONE! I’ve had to return to him here and there, but I had an answer to my prayer.
I’ve also had those “wait” answers that seem like a “no” and then surprise a long time prayer is answered.
But I’ve also had answers that I am surprised about how they are answered. The prayer is answered in a way I never even imagined. And sometimes I don’t realize it until later.
I had that happen to me quite a few times, whether the prayer is a big request or small. Recently I had one of my prayers answered in that way.
Years ago, I used to receive the magazine, Today’s Christian Woman. I could hardly wait to read some of the regular writer’s articles. I daydreamed about writing for this magazine, but I couldn’t even figure out a way to send a query letter to them.
Then one day I found a way in. I wrote a query letter and was even emailed back that they received it and would be passing it on. I was so excited. And then…the magazine stopped printing.
Talk about disappointed. I was.
Until one day I was sending in a blog-post to my editor and it hit me. My editor used to be an editor for Today’s Christian Women and I was sending her a post.
My heart jumped with joy. Although I wasn’t writing for the “magazine” I was writing for the editor. And I even had an open door to send her more work and communicate with her through emails on a personnel level.
God answered my heart’s desire in a different way than I expected, but still He answered.
There always seem to be a time when there doesn’t seem to be an answer’s in sight, but maybe it was answered, just not in a way you thought it would be answered.
So don’t stop going before the King, who loves you and asks you to bring your cares to Him. I mean, how can we refuse to bring our cares to Him when He wants us to bring them to Him?
A song from Psalm 121 usually comes to mind when I’m waiting for an answer or start getting stressed out.
“1 I look up to the mountains – does my help come from there?
2My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” NLT version
Waiting can be hard, but for those who wait is a promise…
Isaiah 40:31
“31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” KJV
So…
Psalm 27:14 “Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” NLT
He is God and answers prayers.
For further encouragement from His word, Psalm 130:5, Psalm 27, Psalm 37:4, Micah 7:7
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