When we ask God to reveal Himself to us, He does so, in a big way!
The past year was tough for our family. One of us was going through a period of intense stress and it was affecting all of us. I was constantly frustrated and tired of the whole affair because whenever we tried to intervene and then made some progress, the other party would shift goalposts! At some point, I even began to ask God what He was doing and why it was taking so long!
It was also very hard to pray. We were under lots of pressure to manage the situation. I would try to talk to God about this but would only manage a few words here and there.
Finally, I left everything to God, asking Him to reveal Himself to us and renew our faith in the process.
He did.
God did exceedingly more than we imagined. He revealed His great power to us. He worked things out miraculously in a way that clearly showed that His hand was present.
We were in awe of His goodness. We still are.
As I said above, it was hard to pray. I used to post prayer requests all over the place but I would struggle to say a prayer. I am not sure if I was angry, faithless, or just stuck in a rut. It was not a great place to be, I can tell you.
But God came through and worked things out. Isn’t He good?
So, then, what did I learn from all this, and what am I still learning?
God comes through when we are weakest
I really needed to pray about this, but at some point I was wordless. I knew what I wanted to pray for, but when I would settle down to pray, the fatigue and discouragement of the whole season would weigh down on me.
I know you have also felt like this at one point or another. We’re not always strong. There will be times when we are weak and unable to stay focused on God.
God knows all about these moments in our lives, and that is when He comes through for us. When we are down in the dumps, He comforts us. When our finances have hit rock bottom, He provides. When we are sick and lying in bed, He is present, ready, and willing to heal us. Praise God!
Are you feeling weak and unable to continue praying and trusting God? Surrender everything at His feet and let Him carry that load for you. He is faithful.
God’s timing is best
There was something else I was praying about concerning my family member. That prayer was answered after a year. Can you imagine waiting for a whole year for an answer? Well, I did, and when the answer came, I realized that it did so at just the right time. Not early, or late, but at the right time.
Who knows what would have happened if God had answered my prayer a couple of weeks after when I had cried out to Him? Only God knows, which is why He answered at the time when everything would work out just right.
Friends, it’s often hard to trust that God’s timing is best. Sometimes we pray for something that we need urgently and we don’t get it on time. Other times we pray for things that are important to take place and they do, but after a long wait.
Psalm 31:16a “My times are in your hands…” (NIV)
We don’t need to worry about when our prayers will be answered because He knows what we need and when we need it. We also do not need to worry about the plans that the Lord has for us and when they will be revealed because He’s timed everything perfectly.
Relax. Your times are in His hands!
It’s not about us, it’s about Him
God does everything He does for His glory. He does not make us look good so that we get all the accolades. God answers our prayers so that we may acknowledge his sovereignty and faithfulness.
Remembering that it is all about God reassures me when I am praying because I know that He will answer my prayers in a way that will reflect His glory. It’s not always easy to remember this especially when the scorching flames of the situation are at their hottest, though. But it can be done. Always remember that God’s glory comes first!
When God answered our prayers concerning our family member, the first time I was super excited. The second time was however different. I was broken. I could not fathom the amount of love God had for us, and how He had graciously answered our prayers. I cried for a whole 15 minutes before I passed on the news to anyone. I was weeping, praising, shouting, etc., as I gave glory to God.
It was not about us, it was about Him. These miraculous deeds turned our hearts and minds back to God – an awesome reminder of how much He loves us and how important we are to Him.
God shows up when we are weakest.
God’s timing is perfect.
It’s all about Him.
That’s all I need to know right now.
Psalm 18:31 “For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?” (ESV)