Have you ever prayed and felt like God wasn’t listening? Maybe you prayed for help in a difficult situation or maybe you prayed for guidance in your life or maybe you prayed for something else? A day passes. Still, there are no results. Three days pass. Still, there is no answer. A whole week passes. Still, nothing has happened. People keep telling you to pray. But at this point, you may be starting to wonder if God is listening.
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…”
-Psalm 37:7 NIV
In a world where instant gratification is the norm, it can be hard to wait on the Lord. But, oftentimes that is exactly what God is calling us to do. We might get impatient and try to quickly solve the problem ourselves with our own knowledge and strength. When we leave God out of the equation, we don’t get the right solution. Psalm 46:10 NIV says, “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalm 46:10 NIV This verse reminds us to take a step back, be still, and acknowledge that God is God and we are not. Exodus 14:14 NIV says, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Sometimes we get impatient and start fighting battles that aren’t ours to fight. During these times, we need to turn our focus to God. Lamentations 3:25 NIV says, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”
“Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.”
– Psalm 33: 20-22 ESV
Dear Lord Jesus, please help us to be still and know that You are God. Please help us not trust our own knowledge and strength, but instead maintain our focus on You. Amen.
