In our hearts we know God answers prayer. We stand diligently on His Word, yet nothing happens. . .at least that we can see.
When I’ve strained to hear God’s voice, when I’ve obeyed everything within my power, when I’ve surrendered doubt and fear, kept standing, and nothing happened, I found comfort in Exodus 23:28-30. Maybe you haven’t been this low, but hopefully these verses will set you free as well.
The Israelites were wandering in the desert after miraculously being set free from slavery, but hadn’t reached their Promised Land. In verses 28-30, God tells Moses He will go ahead to drive out their enemies for them. However, He added He wouldn’t do it in a single year, and why. If He did so, the land would become desolate and wild animals would become too numerous for the Israelites to handle.
In other words. . .God knows best. He thinks of things we can’t. He knew with the enemies gone, there weren’t enough Israelites to sustain the land. Is it possible we’re asking for something we’re not quite ready for yet? Maybe some things need to happen first that we aren’t aware of.
God continued telling Moses, “Little by little, I will defeat your enemy until you’ve increased your population to be able to handle what I’ve given you.”
What? I’m not ready to handle the promise God has given me, or the answer to my prayers? Of course we can handle God’s gifts. We can handle anything. Right? That’s why we’re praying in the first place, isn’t it?
Many years ago, when we started pastoring a small church, we prayed for musicians for eight years before God answered us. Music draws people in, friendliness and the preaching can keep them. Our piano player was 80-years-old, deaf, and read our lips. Looking back, we realize We wouldn’t have been able to handle the growth, if the prayer had been answered immediately. We lacked the necessary help, and truthfully, the knowledge and skills ourselves.
This month marks the anniversary of my blogging for four years. It’s hard to believe I’m starting my fifth. The journey has had many battles to fight, but little by little God has defeated my technology enemies. Still, I prayed and prayed for the help and finances to do more. The past 9 months, I spent as much time searching for the right virtual assistant as I did writing. Finding someone who could do what I needed at a price I could afford seemed impossible at best, but I kept praying. All of these years, virtual assistants specialized in one area, or another, but not in all. . .until now. God has now answered this prayer.
Other long-awaited prayers remain unanswered at this time. I can take comfort while trusting my Heavenly Father who is making a way where there seems to be no way. Whether He is preparing me to handle what I think I need right now, or preparing other circumstances or people, it WILL BE ANSWERED.
God has a plan, and as we pray, we must know He’s preparing the answer for you. Trust in Him today.
Question: Have you ever thought about prayers being answered this way before? If not, share how these verses or examples spoke to your heart.
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© 2019, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.
Thanks for sharing Exodus 23:28-30. I took a few minutes to study this out, this could also be a deliverance scripture as well. We have so much we fight on a daily basis, and God helps us get rid of it our time because he we have to slowly build and increase ourselves in the word daily. Its so much revelation in this scripture. From lossing weight, to start businesses, pursing dreams, wow…although God can do it all at one time, its for our benefit, it comes over time. Thanks Jena for being a blessing to me this evening!
Good afternoon, Marshae. Thanks for visiting my site and taking time to share a comment with us. I particularly like where you said how…God can do it all at one time, but often chooses to do it over time for our benefit. Amen. I’m glad this post ministered to you today. Come back anytime for more encouragement. Be blessed.
I will definitely be back, I had to bookmark this because I truly need this. As someone, who wants all that I know God has shown me he has for me now, this is the biggest lesson I’m having to learn. So thank you so much for allowing God to use you to get this to me. He has been preparing me for a while with several things in my life. That scripture brought it home.
Thank you so much Jena, ill be around! God bless your efforts with your blog and God bless you!
Great post Jena! One thing that has taken me a long time to learn is that I do not need to be confused about everything that I do not understand. Confusion comes from the enemy. Trusting God requires acceptance of unanswered questions. We need to be okay with not knowing and trust the One who does know. Easier said than done, I know. Daily I say, “I trust you Father” at least a dozen times. I love Daniel 9:23; “At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision”. God does answer us, the moment we begin to pray. We may not see the answer right away, or even in our lifetime, but I take comfort in knowing He does in fact answer. And, His answers are always for our good. Not necessarily for our want, but for our good. Blessings.
Hi Mary. Wonderful words of wisdom here. Thanks for sharing. I really liked the part saying we need to be okay with not knowing and trusting the One who does know. HE definitely answers us, giving us what is good for us when we’re trusting. Might be different than we wanted, but will be better. Love ya! Blessings.