25 Mar When answers seem slow
Today, I’m an avid coffee drinker. But as a kid, I hated it because I had heard it stunted your growth. With a mom and dad both under 5’6”, I wasn’t about to hurt my chances! I drank my first cup at 44 years old, when I battled Hepatitis C and had to endure a difficult 12-month interferon treatment.
My wife could see that I was often tired throughout the day, so she came to me claiming to have a special liquid medication. Since I had already grown to 6’2”, I figured I had nothing to lose. After that first cup, it was like lightning shot through my body! I got so much done!
Today, my wife makes me an extra cup every morning. I am hooked. The other day I thought, how awesome would my life be if I was as hooked on prayer as I was coffee?
What are you hooked on? I encourage you to add prayer to that list! It truly is the most powerful tool we have as children of God.
But Jim, you might be thinking, I already pray, and nothing happens. It just feels like a waste of time! Well if you’ve already gotten the habit of prayer down, and you’re not feeling its effects, maybe there’s something hindering it.
When your answers to prayers seem slow, here are five things to take a look at.
First of all, have you rid your life of sin? David makes it clear how important this step is in Psalm 66:18-19 when he says, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.” If there’s something hindering your prayers from being answered, do everything in your power to put a stop to it. God always answers the prayers of those who wholeheartedly seek him.
Secondly, have you sought out a mentoring relationship? James 5:14-15 says, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.” The bottom line? Mentorship matters.
Then, are you learning and practicing righteousness? Psalm 34:17 says it plainly, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”
Fourth, are you remaining in Him? In John 15:4, Jesus says, “…No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
Finally, are you resting in faith? 1 John 3:19-20 says, “This is how we… set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our feelings…”
The next time you’re frustrated by slow answers to prayer, revisit this checklist. We don’t serve a distant Father; we serve one dedicated to meeting our needs as we follow Him!