Perhaps like me you have prayed earnestly over a matter and nothing happened. Worse, perhaps the very thing you prayed against did happen. Those are humbling and bewildering times. As a chaplain I spent a lot of time at the bedside praying for healing; I joined with others in praying for friends and family, too. Sometimes people were healed and sometimes they were not--at least not physically.
Admittedly, my praying is not fully mature, but my faith in God's providence is sure. The strength of my prayer or your prayer is not the question, rather is the God to whom we are praying willing and able to heal? Is He willing to provide for our needs? The answer to both questions is an emphatic "yes!" Consider for a moment how willing you are to help your children when they poorly articulate a need. So stands God ready and willing to come to our aid. But, He desires to give those gifts that are often beyond our imagination (Ephesians 3:20).
For instance, you may determine that you need something and begin to desperately pray for that thing. On the other hand, God, in heaven, full of mercy, grace, and wisdom, sees only heartache in your request. Or perhaps, like Paul (2 Corinthians 12:9), He has given you some thing or circumstance that is unpleasant in order that you might avail of His grace and power to overcome it. You pray for escape, but God sees much benefit in the struggle.
Our prayer life often follows this timeline: 1) we discover a need, 2) begin to pray about the need, and then 3) wait for God's answer. I would commend to you that the time between our discovery and God's answer is "the meantime."
"In the meantime" is a phrase that connotes waiting and turning our attention to other things. For example, "I have lots of work to do on the computer, but the internet is down; so, in the meantime I will vacuum the house." As you can see from that example, often the "plan B" we choose to do "in the meantime" is not as appealing as our first plan.
The meantime in prayer is likewise unsettling. We are earnest about something; we have urgency in our prayers because often there is urgency in our needs. So when we pray and God does not respond with the same urgency it is perplexing and uncomfortable, and sometimes discouraging. I would suggest to you that the "meantime" is God's weight room for building strength in our faith and prayer.
One of the worst things we can do is evaluate God and His performance based solely upon our experience with Him. Perhaps we begin to think, "Prayer is really a gamble, I have no idea if God is going to help or not." A review of more stable sources (like God's Word) would reveal that God is a loving "keeper" (Psalm 121); He abounds in steadfast love (Psalm 145); He delights in delivering His people (Psalm 50); God is a shield, our glory and the "lifter of our heads" (Psalm 3); He is a God of the impossible (Romans 4); He is our hiding place, preserving us from trouble (Psalm 32); God helps us maneuver in the tough climbs of life (Habakkuk 3); He is our rock and fortress (Psalm 18); and stands beside those in need (Psalm 109). Well, you get the point, there are thousands of verses that speak of God's love and provision; there are thousands of witnesses to God's deliverance. It is better to evaluate God based upon those testimonies than our limited experience.
So, when we investigate God's Word about His love, care, and provision, we see a more accurate picture of who He is and how He works. Praise the Lord! We serve an amazing God!
Now bear with me as this is a work in progress and the mood of this statement is brighter than it sounds, but I have come to believe this statement,
God is a God of love, care, and provision. He may not always provide what I am praying for, but because God is trustworthy and steadfast in His love, I can rest securely in Him. My faith does not rest on His deliverance but upon His character; not on my experience, but on His Word! In the meantime, God will take care of me; and He will give meaning, hope, anticipation, encouragement, and even joy as I follow Him!
As one radio pastor recently put it, our minds are like tea cups and God's mind is bigger than all of our oceans. Consequently, there will be times when we do not understand what God is doing. But, since I know His love and grace are equally unlimited I will trust Him! That is what I will do in the meantime. It is the best thing I can do.
I pray God's encouragement for you as you wait (too)!
