Jesus Hears Our Prayers
His answers don’t always come right away, but in His omnipotence, they come exactly when they are supposed to. Many times in my life I have experienced what felt like a delay in an answer to my prayers. But God is great, and in waiting on Him, my faith has only grown so much deeper and stronger.
I have poor eye sight, and when I was first saved, I asked for Him to heal me. It did not happen right away, but thirty years later. I had just moved from New York to Virginia, and an eye doctor I had never been seen by before told me he would operate on the cataracts in my eyes. Only in my early 60’s then, he told me I was quite young to have them, but with an operation, my eyesight would improve significantly. This was a huge shock for me, because since I was very young, eye doctors had always told my parents there was no help for me. Even as I got older, no one would operate out of fear of making me blind completely. I had to wear very thick glasses which people would always stare at and children would make fun of me for having. It was very hard for me for many years, until God sent this doctor. I knew it was of God because no one else was ever even willing to try. He told me he had never performed this surgery on anyone with such bad eyesight before, but I had such a peace in my heart knowing God had sent me to him for this operation. My insurance covered the procedure, but not the anesthesiologist. I thought I was not going to be able to have the operation done, but the doctor agreed to cover that portion so I could get the operation. Praise God! I remember when I woke up from the procedure the doctor asked me what I could see; I could see the lady across the room! For the first time, I could see a snowflake, and individual leaves on the trees. It felt like such a miracle-an answer to my long ago prayer. I know He could have healed me right away, He has done it before, but that is not always what His plan is for us. Sometimes, waiting on the Lord can help us grow in our faith, putting our trust in Him alone. In our waiting, He comforts and encourages us.
So, if you feel your prayers are going unanswered, just hold on! Something I have always told myself when I needed encouragement is, “Jesus said it, I believe it, and that settles it,” and it has brought me great peace in my times of waiting. His love for us is so great, He does not keep us waiting in vain.
1 John 5:14-15
14-And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us:
15-And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.
Jeremiah 33:3
[Thus saith the Lord] Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not
Psalm 34:17
The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.