Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer

When we pray God answers, but He doesn't just give answers and move on, He watches over us, He guides us, and He gets us through the more difficult roads we have to travel

Source: Behappy.me

Sometimes when we pray God doesn't give us the answer straight away, but if we pray earnestly and without ceasing and trust God for the answer, whatever it might end up being, then we will be led in the way we should be going, and the Lord will bless us. I am not a typically intelligent person, school was hard for me, I would watch my older brother put in minimal effort and still get good grades, but I couldn't do that. Even when I worked extremely hard I would often fall short, so the decision to go to university was a tough one for me. 

I took a year out after college working and praying about my next step. I had applied to three universities and got rejected by two, however I received a conditional offer from the third. The conditional offer required me to get higher grades in my A level than I had previously achieved, so I re-took an exam, but as usual it didn't amount to much and I came away with no better results. My parents and I continued to pray, that if it was meant to be, I would get a place anyway and if not (which seemed the most obvious path) I would get the inevitable rejection. I had to wait for that year’s pupils to receive their A level results to find out if I would be offered a place. On results day, as I prepared to call and check in to find out, my mom called me to advise that a letter had arrived that morning from the university. She opened it for me and to my delight I had got in, I couldn't believe it. 

Source: Agents of Light

During the first few months at university doubts crept in and I remember thinking; what if I wasn't doing the right course? However, no sooner had I asked the question than I got my first assignment grade back, which was a really high mark. It felt like God was letting me know I was on the right path and it was going to be okay. I had prayed that if I got into university, that God would see me through it and He did, I graduated with a 2:1 honors degree. My usual style was to just pass or fail everything, it was always touch and go with my grades, but this was a very firm middle of the road 2:1 result and I owe it all completely to the Lord. When we pray God answers, but He doesn't just give answers and move on, He watches over us, He guides us, and He gets us through the more difficult roads we have to travel. Matthew 21:22 ‘If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer’.

There are some other things we must take into consideration. Sometimes when we pray, we won't always get the answer we are hoping for. Often, this can be really tough, but when we pray for something we have to keep an open mind and know that God will never do anything to hurt us, He only has our best interests at heart. In fact, it is worth remembering that God sees the future, He sees it all and He may be leading us down a path we may not want to travel, however it is the path that will keep us safe. This may be something we can't see ourselves as we can only comprehend the here and now and can't see the bigger picture. A few years ago, I found out that I wouldn't be able to have children and for about a year I struggled with this and grieved a great deal for the loss of something I felt, as a woman, was my right. During this difficult and extremely painful time, as I prayed, I felt a peace wash over me. Maybe having a child would have caused me difficulty or harm? I can't see that far into the future, but God can. Or maybe it just wasn't the right time? Even though medically I was told I can't have children, that wouldn't stop the Lord, so if it was meant to be, in time it would happen. My faith allowed me to know that whatever the future, God holds it and that is all that I could ever hope for. Philippians 4:6 ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God’.

Sometimes when we pray, God doesn't seem to offer an answer. Sometimes He wants us to make our own choices, to take a leap of faith and trust that no matter what, He is there with us and will see us through. Recently I faced a very difficult situation where I had to make a decision I just couldn't make. I prayed, my parents prayed, but no answer came. I knew that I had two choices and either one would lead me down a difficult and painful road and all I wanted was for God to tell me which one to choose, because I wanted to be walking in His will. Still no answer came, and it was so painful. As time went on I swung back and forth in my decision, but eventually chose a path and as I committed to that I found the Lord’s peace again. I knew it wouldn't be easy and I didn't know if it was the right path to be taking, but I did know that God would be in it with me every step of the way non-the-less. All I have to do is keep reaching out and trusting that He is always by my side.

Whatever you may be praying for remember to keep an open mind and willingness to accept an answer that may sometimes be difficult. Be prepared to sometimes not hear at all, but in all circumstances, trust that God knows and believe that He will be with you through it all, every step of the way. Romans 12:12 ‘Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 

Author:Rebekah Cronk

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