During the Wait - The Crosswalk Devotional - November 1
The Crosswalk Devotional
Audio By Carbonatix
By Cindi McMenamin, Crosswalk.com
During the Wait
By Cindi McMenamin
Bible Reading:
The LORD is good to those who await Him,
To the person who seeks Him. - Lamentations 3:25
It can feel so discouraging when you and I are praying for something and God doesn’t appear to be answering.
Why are others enjoying the warmth of God’s blessings, and I’m being left out in the cold? we wonder.
We scroll through social media and see one person after another reporting their #blessings and wonder why God is waiting when it comes to what we are hoping for. God’s silence, or even a very clear no to our prayers, can add to our discouragement and leave us in a place where we are vulnerable to Satan’s attacks on our faith and internal questions about whether God really cares about us.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Because the enemy’s shouts of accusation can overpower the still small voice of your loving Heavenly Father, you and I must know what to do—and what not to do—when God doesn’t give us what we requested.
First, re-acquaint yourself with God’s truth. When you’re feeling discouraged or abandoned by God due to unanswered prayer, that’s often when Satan swoops in to launch his ruthless attack by giving you thoughts that aren’t even your own. He will taunt you with lies like God stopped listening to you long ago. He will try to heap shame on you with accusations like, Do you really think God will give you anything you ask for after what you’ve done?
Counter the enemy’s lies by familiarizing yourself with God’s truth from His Word:
- He is merciful and compassionate (Lamentations 3:22-23).
- He is “righteous in all His ways, and kind in all His works” (Psalm 145:17)
- He is near to all who call on Him (Psalm 145:17-18).
When you know He is good and forgiving, and knows how to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11), it will help you discern truth from falsehood and keep you from being easy prey to Satan’s attacks during this difficult time.
Second, remain faithful. Even though you might not feel you have what you want right now, remember that God so freely and generously gave you His Son. Romans 8:32 assures us, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (ESV). Do you want to give that kind of generous and loving God an attitude of entitlement or, worse yet, resentment when you don’t get what you want? God wants a relationship with you more than He wants your list of requests. He wants you to be satisfied in Him, not just what you receive from Him.
Jesus told a parable in Luke 18:1-8 of a widow who got what she wanted from an unrighteous judge simply because she wouldn’t stop asking. Then Jesus pointed out how much more our loving Heavenly Father, who is righteous, will give justice to those who continually plead with Him their case. Remain faithful. Don’t stop praying. Seek Him, instead of what you want from Him. It might make all the difference in what you’re asking for, and you might even find you already have—in Him—all you could ever want.
Third, this is the time to record your blessings and what God has already granted. Start keeping track of what you do have. Writing down your prayer requests, as well as God’s continued blessings—even the ones you don’t ask for—can help you keep perspective. Record the date that He answers, whether it’s a yes or no. You’ll soon look back and see He is answering, and His yes may be more frequent than you realize. And His no, not yet, or not in this way, may be more of a blessing or a means of protection than you realize.
Finally, redirect your requests to what God wants you to pray for. Have you ever asked God how to pray? “Lord, what should I pray for?” “Lord, how do You want me to pray?” “Lord, lay on my heart Your desires and make them mine.”
When you and I begin praying according to God’s lead, rather than expecting God to passively respond to our requests, it will completely change how we view and approach prayer altogether. We will discover there is so much He is doing in and around us, and so much He wants us to pray for, so He can accomplish so much more than we ever thought possible.
Ask God to lay upon your heart what He wants you to ask for. And thank Him, by faith, for the privilege of making your prayers a conduit through which He can perform His work here on earth.
Further Reading:
Luke 18:1-8
Psalm 62
For encouragement as you wait on God, see my book, The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God.
Join the conversation! Share how today’s devotional encouraged or challenged you in your walk with Christ.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Mykyta Martynenko
Cindi McMenamin is a national speaker, Bible teacher, certified writing coach, and award-winning writer who helps women and couples strengthen their relationship with God and others. She is also a mother, a pastor’s wife who has been married 37 years, and the author of 19 books, including When Women Walk Alone (more than 160,000 copies sold), The New Loneliness: Nurturing Meaningful Connections When You Feel Isolated, and The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God. For more on her speaking ministry, coaching services for writers, and books to strengthen your soul, marriage, and parenting, see her website: www.StrengthForTheSoul.com.
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
Related Resource: 9 Confusing Things about God– Answered By a Christian Philosopher
How can God be all-present (omnipresent) and yet be located in the temple and indwell believers? How can God know everything (omniscient) if He doesn't know what it is like to sin? How can God be a necessary Being if it is logically possible He doesn't exist? These are just a few of the tough, philosophical questions Sean McDowell discusses with William Lane Craig.
