“Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.” – Paulo Coelho

By Dawn Onley

Have you ever prayed for something and then waited for your prayer to be answered?

Days and weeks pass by and still no answer, no resolution, nothing.

You begin to lose hope, and maybe even question God. You feel helpless. You don’t know where to turn. Your faith is questioned.

One of the toughest things in all the world to do is to wait. When we pray, we are hoping for immediate resolution. We are trusting in divine intervention in our earthly matters and we want God to fix it, now. We are anticipating direction and guidance, believing in insight and clarity.

When we receive no answer, it tests our resolve. But it is at these times when we must not lose the faith.

I’ve been there. It can be frustrating. It can cause us to lose faith when there is no answer after we’ve prayed and cried, prayed and cried. When God is silent, we can lose hope when we don’t hear His voice.

I once heard a preacher say that it is very critical what we do in the waiting rooms of life.

We must remain expectant. We need to be cautious about how we speak during these times. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. It is good to speak as if the prayer is already answered and then to act as if it is so.

The preacher directed the church to read Habakkuk 2:3, which talks about waiting on God for answers. “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

The sermon was basically about our dreams for our lives, and if they are inspired by God, according to the pastor, they will come to pass at the appointed time.

Just because there’s no movement doesn’t mean God’s not moving, the preacher reminded us.

After you’ve done all that you can do. When it’s out of your hands. When you need a supernatural blessing. When you need a healing. Wait with expectancy. Believe in the promise. Keep praying.

There’s a tree in that acorn. It may take time to bloom; we may not see it yet, but it’s there. Never give up.