Like any typical parent, I’m routinely pelted with requests from my kids. Sometimes the answers are quick and easy—other times, not so much. My wife and I like to give out as many yeses as possible and hold our no’s. Fielding questions from kids in this manner requires a degree of nuance. And sometimes, it demands the discreet art of patience, like when my ten-year-old son asked for an airsoft gun. We asked him to sleep on it and talk to us in the middle of the week. But then, a few days later, we went to Target, and suddenly he was focused on Legos.
In this case, we never actually had to say no. Our son showed us how badly he wanted it through his lack of persistence. In the course of regular life, he moved on to something else.
I’ve been thinking that our Heavenly Father handles our requests in a similar way. There might be something that we’re excited about. We hurry into prayer with the faith, excitement, and discernment of a child. Then the Lord doesn’t immediately answer. He doesn’t say yes and doesn’t say no. Instead, through his silence and apparent inactivity, he says that it’s time to wait. So we begin the grueling and sanctifying process of waiting. And as we do, life moves on. There are new shiny wrappers that catch our eye. There are more reasons to be excited. And like a child’s trip to Target, something else occupies our desires. We move on. We forget. We stop praying and asking.
Recently, I was thinking about a particular burden that I have. As I reflected on it, I remember praying something like this, “Lord, wouldn’t it please you to do it? Wouldn’t it be so good for your people? Why isn’t this happening?” And before I finished the sentence, a verse flew into my mind, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2).
Perhaps the Lord is displaying his wisdom when he makes us wait. He’s showing what we really want when we either abandon or persist in prayer.
But I did ask. And just then, another verse hit me, “always pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). This is it. I did pray, but I didn’t persevere in prayer. I gave up too quickly. Moving on to other things, I showed how much I really wanted this. Like a little boy requesting a toy, my request was on the tip of my tongue, but it wasn’t lodged in my heart. The Lord led me to Ephesians 6 and reminded me that part of the spiritual battle we are in requires persistence in prayer, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance…” (Ephesians 6:18).
When it comes to prayer, I can give up too quickly. Can you relate?
Often, we assume the reason for divine activity is that it’s not the Lord’s will or that it’s an untimely or unwise request.
But what if it’s something else?
Perhaps the Lord is displaying his wisdom when he makes us wait. He’s showing what we really want when we either abandon or persist in prayer.
Perhaps there’s another reason for unanswered prayer. But either way–you should pray about it!
