We can agree that praying requires patience, our answers certainly don’t always show up immediately. Therefore, we are faced with trusting that God hears our requests, and that He is working on our behalf even though we may not physically see evidence. Often the answers do not come in our allotted timeframe or may show up in ways we do not expect.
One of the foundational truths when we are praying the will of God is to realize He always hears our prayers and His answers are always, Yes and Amen. 2 Corinthians 1:20 in the Message translation affirms, “Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus”.
It is easy to put God in a box and expect His answers to come in our narrative. With this in mind, we may miss His answer altogether. Our shift needs to focus on believing not only WILL God answer our prayers but trusting Him for HOW He will do it. The answers may come completely disguised in a form that we never even considered.
First Kings 19 describes how the prophet, Elijah, was feeling despondent. He was instructed by God to go stand on the mountain to see God pass by. Elijah looked for God in a powerful wind, an earthquake, and a fire, all of which were over-the-top displays and to most of us, would seem how an omnipotent God would showcase His power and mighty presence. But as the story goes, the Lord showed Himself in a still small voice.
Additionally, we see God providing another solution for Elijah in an unusual way. Elijah was in dire need because the brook had dried up and there was a famine in the land. God could have sent a woman of great means with untold wealth to take care of him but instead, God used a widow who was gathering sticks for her last meal to accommodate Elijah.
We see other unconventional provisions in the story of David and Goliath. God did not send a mighty valiant warrior to defeat the giant defying the Israelites but instead sent a young boy with a sling shot.
God sent a prostitute to save the Israelites rather than a priest.
And when the the children of Israel were at a dead end on their flight from Egypt, God decided to part the Red Sea rather than use a water vessel for their escape.
Lastly, the King of Kings made His entrance on a donkey when the world was looking for pomp and circumstance.
God will answer our prayers however, it may not be in the way we are expecting. Put your trust in God for His provision and be open to unconventional answers. They may show up in ways you never anticipated.
Rhonda L. Smart, rhondalsmart@gmail.com
