Give It Time

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,

as some understand slowness.

Instead, he is patient with you,

not wanting anyone to perish,

but everyone to come to repentance.

—2 Peter 3:9 

I have been praying for a miracle, a healing. It hasn’t happened yet, and I don’t know if it will in my lifetime, but I keep praying.

There are several people in my life who do not know Christ. I have prayed for their spiritual awakening for years. I don’t know when—or if—they will turn and accept the Lord, but I keep praying.

When the world and its leaders feel too cruel, too greedy, too volatile, I pray for wisdom and peace to prevail. Though the discord persists, I keep praying.

Praying isn’t easy, and it’s especially hard to stay committed to prayers that appear to have no traction. But that is what we are called to do. The apostle Paul wrote, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).

“Pray without ceasing” does not mean to petition the Lord during every waking moment of the day. That would be impossible, and God does not ask us to do impossible things. To understand the true meaning, we look at the original phrase as it was written in Greek: proseuchesthe adialeiptos.  Proseuchesthe means to come face-to-face with God in praise, thanks, petition, and submission. Adialeiptos means to let nothing come in between, or without interruption. When combined, “proseuchesthe adialeiptos” means to maintain a constant attitude of seeking God’s presence.

What might that look like? Here’s how it looks for me…

When I awoke this morning, I thanked God for another day. As I made coffee, I told God how grateful I was for my home and the abundance in my cupboards. When I sat down to read my Bible, I invited God to open my eyes to whatever he had for me to learn today. After my reading, I prayed for God to heal my friend, to raise up a strong generation of believers to lead non-Christians to faith in Christ, and for world leaders to humble themselves and seek peace. I take God with me into each day and acknowledge him often.

This is how I stay centered on Christ. Brother Lawrence, a French Carmelite monk from the 17th century, advocated for ongoing dialogue with God in his book, The Practice of the Presence of God. Recognizing this might be a struggle for some, he wrote, “Do not be discouraged by the resistance you will encounter from your human nature; you must go against your human inclinations. Often, in the beginning, you will think that you are wasting time, but you must go on, be determined and persevere in it until death, despite all the difficulties.” I can attest to the fact that it wasn’t easy at first to dialogue with God continually, but now I can’t imagine living any other way.

Several years ago, I bought a blueberry bush. It was a scrawny little thing that I imagined would yield a great harvest. Year after year, the bush grew taller, but no fruit appeared. Last year, my husband said it was time to get rid of the fruitless tree, but I said, “Let’s give it one more year.”

There is a similar story in Luke 13:6–9.

Then Jesus told this parable: "A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'

'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"

Unbeknownst to me, Greg had fertilized the ground around the bush and sprayed it to keep the deer and insects away. This year, for the first time, it yielded blueberries! They weren’t very large, but they were incredibly sweet—and all the sweeter because of the wait.

Prayer is spiritual fertilizer. It stimulates growth, provides essential nutrients, and produces good fruit. You never know when or if your prayers will be answered this side of heaven, but be assured, God hears every single one. The main thing is to keep the lines of communication open.

Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). So, don’t get discouraged, and don’t stop praying. Lean in, knowing that continuing to relate with Jesus as you wait will make the fruit of your prayers that much sweeter.

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SHARING AN APPROPRIATE SONG: Don’t Stop Praying by Matthew West 

Favorite lyric: “Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop calling on Jesus’ name. Keep on pounding on heaven’s door. Let your knees wear out the floor.”