We put our trust in God. We are instructed in scripture that God knows what we need and when we need it, but it can be difficult to exercise patience when waiting on an answer to a prayer.
This message is the third and final message in a series where we discuss 3 ways we find ourselves Waiting on God.
Let’s review the areas we have been discussing.
#1 When making a decision – Waiting on God to know what we should decide.
#2 Waiting out of fear – Waiting to act when we are afraid. In other words, Waiting on God for the green light.
#3 Waiting on a need – When we find ourselves Waiting on God for a resolution or an answer to a prayer.
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We put our trust in God. We are instructed in scripture that God knows what we need and when we need it, but it can be difficult to exercise patience when waiting on an answer to a prayer.
This message is the third and final message in a series where we discuss 3 ways we find ourselves Waiting on God.
Let’s review the areas we have been discussing.
#1 When making a decision – Waiting on God to know what we should decide.
#2 Waiting out of fear – Waiting to act when we are afraid. In other words, Waiting on God for the greenlight.
#3 Waiting on a need – When we find ourselves Waiting on God for a resolution or an answer to a prayer.
What I am sharing across all of these messages is that there is a common thread in each of these circumstances – God’s will. I will talk more about that later in the message.
In each of these messages, I’ve also shared a personal experience on what waiting on God looked like for me.
In this message, we are going to talk a about what we can do when we are waiting on an answer to a prayer or waiting on a request that we have petitioned to God
What is an example of waiting for an answer to a prayer?
One example may be you are waiting for healing for an ailment or sickness. Maybe you have prayed for healing after receiving a diagnosis from the doctor.
Another example, perhaps you are in a difficult financial situation and you are short of the funds you need for food or rent. It can be very challenging when we feel there is something we need by a specific date and time.
One more example – perhaps you have prayed for a loved one who is in crisis. Perhaps you have prayed for someone who is in the throngs of addiction or another behavior that is causing harm to themselves or others.
In all of these examples, we can be truly tested as we wait on an answer from God.
We are only human, and it can feel paralyzing when we desire a particular outcome in prayer. I actually have used the word ‘need’ specifically instead of ‘want’ in this message, because I want to dial in on the fact that we often think that we know what is best for us. Our posture might be to present to God something we ‘need’ according to us. We may actually even say the words to God – “I need this.” . We will talk more about this later in the message, so stay tuned.
So, we know the situation – but what can we do when it comes to waiting for God?
I’d like to give you an example from my walk with God at a very difficult time in my life.
I was in between jobs and my financial situation was becoming more and more constrained over the months. Time was running out on the ability for me to pay my bills. I am sure this situation can relate to many.
In the beginning, my prayers went something like “God, please bless this interview that I will be given an offer. This job is perfect.” or “God, please help me to find this type of job or that. I need this job”. There goes that need word again. I felt I needed this or that. What I wanted – was to get another job making the same or more amount of money than I had made at my previous role. I had a list of specifications for what I wanted and – and what I felt I needed.
As weeks dragged on to months, each and every interview for a job I felt was good for me – what I needed, I was not offered the job. After all the rejection, I became confused and questioned my worth, my skills, my value. I was briefly confused as to why God was not just making things happen. He knew the situation, right?
I didn’t understand why a loving God would allow my situation to “deteriorate”.
I actually started working for the Lyft ride-hailing company as a driver for a time while I continued interviewing, but my morale became lower and lower with each rejection. I felt I NEEDED to not work for Lyft and I deserved to have the job I knew what was best.
I didn’t understand why a loving God would allow my situation to “deteriorate”. In my mind, I didn’t understand why God wanted me to make such a drastic shift from my comfortable compensation as an engineer to driving people around in cars. Boy was my ego up in the sky, actually stratosphere.
Later, I will tell you what my breakthrough moment was and what I want to convey to you about your situation. I don’t’ want to spoil the end of the story but, in retrospect God decided to really use this moment to help me grow with him in understanding.
So let’s discuss a few ways we can wait on an answer from God.
#1 Look to Scripture to learn we can trust God
Much as we saw in our last message about waiting out of fear, scripture also includes numerous references to God instructing us to not be afraid. Here are a few.
Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. -- Proverbs 3:5-6 AMP Bible
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. -- Joshua 1:9 ESV Bible
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” -- Isaiah 41:10 NIV Bible
The word of God will guide us and instruct us in any and all things. Let us turn to scripture when in need. When we are not sure what God has promised us. When we need re-assurance that God has not left us or deserted us – even when our feelings can tempt us to think otherwise.
#2 Lean in to God with all of your might
I’d like to be very clear on something. I am not suggesting in this message some way to speed up God answering a prayer or somehow get a guarantee that what you have petitioned before God will be granted and it will be granted within the timing you feel you need it.
My goal in this message is to equip you with wisdom and the tools for discernment of how to walk in faith through your situation.
If this message is speaking to you, and you are waiting on an answer to a prayer: God knows your situation more than you can possibly realize. He knows about every layer, every cause and effect for every possible outcome from this moment on. God LOVES you more than you or I can possibly fathom or imagine.
So, when we have brought something before God and we are waiting I want you to know that you can lean into God while you wait. You can lean into God, knowing and trusting that He knows your angst and worry and maybe even fear.
He knows if you are flabbergasted about the situation, feeling desperate.
He knows what you read on the diagnosis from the most knowledgeable doctor on the subject.
He knows that you did your best. That you did it right. That you honored him in everything you do, but yet still you are in this situation.
He knows what you saw on the red slip from the letter in the mail.
He knows that the amount of money the landlord needs by next Tuesday is way more than what you have in the bank.
He knows that you did your best. That you did it right. That you honored him in everything you do, but yet still you are in this situation.
He even knows if you think your circumstances are your fault. You messed up and now you need help.
He knows.
If this message is speaking to you, let me ask you something. Is there anything in this universe that is out of the sight of God? Think about it. Really think about it.
In this moment of waiting and wondering and worrying, seek and find peace, child in the bosom of your Creator, the almighty God. Find time in your day to just be still with him, let him know how you are feeling and ask for His comfort as you patiently wait.
Is anything more important than making time to lean all of your fiber and being into him. Are you too proud or too busy or too preoccupied to find the time to sit and just pause. JUST PAUSE.
While you are waiting, make him your refuge.
Make him your counselor.
Allow him to know your feelings and ask him to help you in your faith.
This leads us to the third and final way I want to share how we can wait on God
#3 Seek to do God’s Will
As I mentioned earlier in the message, there has been a common thread in this series of seeking God’s will above our own.
In times of waiting, finding the strength and the courage to add to your prayer, “May YOUR will be done above my own. Show me YOUR will in this situation. “
Know that God’s promise is to supply you with what you need, not necessarily what you want. When I think of needs, what comes to mind is shelter, food, clothing, and His companionship.
When we are in a posture of wanting and waiting for the want, we may lose sight of the fact that what we want may not be in our best interest.
Let me ask you a question. If you and God were driving down a desolate road at night that you have never traveled, do you feel as though you need him to give you directions (ok, lets assume there is no GPS signal for your phone or car). So, If you are lost, would you actually expect God give you directions of how to get to the destination you have in mind or would you rather let God take over the driving and let him steer you to the best destination for you?
We may petition God for an outcome that we think is best, or that we quite earnestly desire – but the most important thing to do even if the most difficult is to surrender the situation to him.
Surrender to the Lord by asking him to show you His will. Maybe it goes something like this:
“God, you know what the letter says. You know the number on the letter is more than I have in my account. You know what it says will happen if I don’t have that money.
You have promised that you will always provide what I need. You know what I need and I ask that Your will be done in this circumstance.
Guide me Lord. I surrender this entire situation to You and follow Your instructions whatever they may be. “
Or, maybe something like this:
“God, you know what the doctor said in his diagnosis. He is the best doctor in the country. But You are the creator of all things. I know You can heal me if that is your will.
I ask for healing, I so desire for You to heal me or help the doctor to treat this condition successfully, but first and foremost I surrender this to you.
First and foremost I ask that you make known your perfect will for this situation.“
God’s will is perfect. God is with us, with you and seeks You to trust him in this situation.
I’d like to go back to my situation I told you about earlier. Desperate to get a job, I did not understand why I was not being accepted in interviews for jobs that were perfect according to me that I thought I was qualified for.
I was walking down the street and as I glanced up I saw 3 crosses from a church around the corner towering into the sky. In my heart, at that moment I knew what I needed to do.
I got on my knees on the sidewalk and I wept and I surrendered it all to him. I surrendered the job search. I surrendered how my life would drastically change if I drove Lyft from now on but that I would do it if that was his will. I handed it all to him in tears on that sidewalk, regardless of traffic or any eyes on me – I wanted him to know in that moment, he was King above all things and all of man and I wanted him to know I am his servant. I will do what his will is for me to do. I will trust him and seek his guidance and direction. I had no idea if he wanted me to stay in my career or do something else, but I trusted him.
I got up, in tears and continued to my destination.
In the next few days, I started to see an influx of responses from interviews in process or new interviews. Out of the blue, within a week or so I had several interviews reaching the final stage before an offer. I literally was overwhelmed in interviews approaching a job offer to the point I stopped accepting interview requests. It was literally interview success more that I could handle. I would be offered a job within a few weeks of that moment. That job was at the time the best job I have ever had, making more compensation than I realized I could earn.
What I learned in that moment is to trust God’s will over my own. Will God’s will result in your desired outcome, possibly not – but if we know we are in a posture of surrender and the outcome is not what we had hoped or desired, we at least know that the outcome was His will nonetheless and that we can continue to seek him as we walk through those circumstances, leaning not on our own understanding but his.
If there is nothing else I want you to gain from this series, I want you to understand the power of surrendering your will to his will. That trusting in him at every step as you walk through life will keep you aligned with his perfected plan for you and your future.
In this message I shared 3 ways we can approach waiting on a need from God.
Please remember that you are never alone when you trust in God. God’s promise to you is that He is with you and will watch over you in any and all circumstances. God’s promise to you is that He will supply you with all of your needs. If you surrender to him, if you can find it in your heart to surrender to His will for your life, you are destined to be aligned with His perfect plan for you.
Be sure to check out the other messages in this series:
- Waiting on God – How to wait on God when making a decision
- Waiting on God – Waiting out of fear
- Waiting on God – Waiting on a need
