6 Effective Ways to Hang On When Waiting on God for Answers - Jeanne Takenaka
Contents
How well do we handle waiting on God to answer our prayers?
I’ve been writing novels for thirteen years. And, for twelve of those, I’ve sought traditional publication. Not gonna lie; the waiting has, at times, been hard. I’ve battled discouragement. Grown angry with God. Even fallen into depression briefly. And I’ve prayed time and again for a positive answer to this prayer.
I’ve sometimes struggled to believe God hears my prayers, especially when I’m sharing my heart with Him. I fully believe He hears others’ prayers. But mine?
Umm, not always.
Recently, as I read Psalm 116, the psalmist’s words spoke to my heart. I do love the Lord. I’m growing in confidence that God does hear my voice and my supplications. Why?
Because He loves me. He loves each of His children. Putting this into a visual, God leans down to hear our prayers, much like we bend down or lean into our children or grandchildren to listen to their words.
Why do we do this? Because we love them. Why does God lean down to hear our words, our pleas, our praises, our confessions, our gratitude, our heart’s yearning?
Because He loves us.
Even when we haven’t walked as closely with God as perhaps we should, He still loves us. Because He loves us, we can rest in the truth that He will answer our prayers.
We’re assured of these truths
- We can call on God all of our days on this earth
- He will hear us. Our Father will answer our prayers in His perfect way and time
- Even when we struggle with God, His love for us doesn’t change
What we can do when we’re waiting on God’s answer
We’ll talk more about how to wait well in a different post, but here’s what we can do now:
Remember truths from God’s word
- He has loved us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)
- When we draw near to God, He draws near to us (Jeremiah 29:12, James 4:8)
- Throughout the psalms, we read of how God heard the psalmists
Focus on God’s character
- He is faithful (Psalm 36:5)
- God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8)
- God keeps His promises (2 Peter 3:9)
- The Lord is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 147:3)
- Our Father loves us, even when our love for Him falters
- God has good (though not necessarily easy) plans for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11)
- He is trustworthy
- Our Father sees beyond what we see and knows what’s beyond our knowing (Phil 4:7)
Keep seeking God
Spend time in His word. Continue praying, pouring out our hearts to our Father. Worship Him. Be honest about our doubts, frustrations, and fears in the waiting. God is big enough to handle all of these.
And, He’ll keep loving us.
Find a Bible verse to memorize
and cling to when the emotions in the waiting become too much. God’s word strengthens us when we become discouraged.
Trust that God does hear our prayers.
And He will answer them in His timing.
Truths for the waiting times
God’s timing has always been different from mine. Example: when I received my first teaching position. Met my husband and married. When my Father made me a mama. When He will answer my prayers to become a published novelist. My plans and timing are very different from His.
When we can’t see Him working, and the Lord seems silent, we must choose. Will we believe what we know about His character? Will we continue to pursue a relationship with Him anyway? Will we trust Him to answer prayers?
If we can answer yes to each of these questions, our hearts will wait better.
It’s natural to ask God why He’s not answering. I’ve found there are many reasons for His silence, most of which I don’t understand.
Example of a waiting season
When we struggled with infertility for years, I cried out to God and asked, “Why?” Anger filled me and, like a toddler, crossed my arms and turned my back to Him.
And He still loved me.
When the sorrow turned to despair, I realized I needed the Lord to walk through that trial. He revealed my heart to me . . . I’d made the desire for motherhood an idol.
As I laid down the yearning to be a mama at God’s feet and gave Him the place on the throne of my life, I came to terms with the fact He hadn’t answered prayers for a baby.
In the waiting, God has work He wants to do in our hearts and thoughts. He yearns for us to trust Him in the not knowing, the not understanding.
If we allow Him, the Lord will unearth our hidden sins and clean us up. Because he loves us, God will bring to light the lies we believe and cause them to shrivel under the gravity of His truth and grace. He’ll shower His love in our lives and strengthen us when we feel weak.
Conclusion
I’m still talking with God regarding His direction about publishing. While waiting, I continue to seek Him and to write. I’m praying for my Father’s guidance and timing.
When we find ourselves in a waiting season for God’s answer to our prayers, let’s look to who He is even more than what He’s capable of doing. As hard as this can be to embrace, God’s plans go further and deeper than we can comprehend.
The best thing we can do when we are waiting for answered prayers is to stand firm in our belief that God hears us and loves us.
What about you? What helps you when waiting on God for an answer to a prayer? How do you keep your faith strong when God seems silent?
Each week we gather here as storytellers, word weavers, and encouragers to make His name known. Our story is God’s story and this small corner of the blogging world, where we come together each Tuesday, needs you. This is a place where poetry, snapshots, prayers, and stories find a safe spot to nod in agreement that what we have to say matters. I am glad you are here and would love to have you join the #TellHisStory community. Add your own encouraging post through the link below. Spread some love by visiting your neighbor and leaving your own encouragement. Click here to read more about the #TellHisStory community and find a button to add to your site.
Each week we gather here as storytellers, word weavers, and encouragers to make His name known. Our story is God’s story and this small corner of the blogging world, where we come together each Tuesday, needs you. This is a place where poetry, snapshots, prayers, and stories find a safe spot to nod in agreement that what we have to say matters. I am glad you are here and would love to have you join the #TellHisStory community. Add your own encouraging post through the link below. Spread some love by visiting your neighbor and leaving your own encouragement. Click here to read more about the #TellHisStory community and find a button to add to your site.
