Waiting on God

Do you ever have one of those days where you need to lay it all out with God?

I was filled to the brim with frustration, sadness, anger, anxiety, fear, and a whole other ton of emotions. I was like a dam ready to burst, and anything in my way was about to get destroyed. I threw my hands up in the air to yell at God for my displeasure about the situation. All God said to me was, “I hear you.”

I stopped and said out loud, “You hear me?”   

I shouted, “God, you need to do better than that!”

Again, His response was, “I hear you.”

It seemed like such a simple statement. I don’t know what I was expecting God to say, but it wasn’t “I hear you.” As I sat there in my bedroom, I could feel the tension beginning to melt, tears starting to run down my cheeks, and my heart softens from His words, “ I hear you.”

Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt like nobody was listening, not even God? Sheila has. Click To Tweet

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Waiting on God

Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt like nobody was listening, not even God?

If you answered “Yes,” I want you to know I am there with you.  

I have prayed for answers for years, and it just seems like all my prayers are going into a bottomless pit, lost forever. It is hard when you have been praying for something for years, and there are no answers, not even a “no” or ‘maybe.” Sometimes, it can make you feel like you are at a crossroads with God, not knowing which way to go or how to pray, or if your prayers even matter to God.

If you have ever felt the same way, I want you to know, “I hear you!” but more importantly, God hears you.

After a very frustrating conversation with God, I picked up my Bible and opened it to Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel. Coincidence, I don’t think so because I know that our God works in mysterious and powerful ways.

Hannah’s Undeniable Faith

Hannah was married to Elkanah, and he loved her. However, Hannah was barren and could not conceive, so she had Elkanah take another wife, Peninnah. Peninnah had Elkanah’s children, but Elkanah loved his wife. Hannah had what Peninnah would never possess, which was Elkanah’s heart and true love.  Peninnah’s jealousy made her act cruelly to Hannah at every opportunity she could be.

In Samuel 1:7 it states: “This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.”

God reminded me I wasn’t the only one who prayed for something without answers for a long time. Hannah had been praying for children for years and still had not conceived. Hannah also had Peninnah, who reminded her daily she didn’t have children, and she rubbed it in Hannah’s face. Yet, Hannah didn’t give up on her prayer to give Elkanah a son.

Hannah’s faith was strong because of her commitment to the Lord.

The Power of Our Prayers

Hannah’s commitment to God found her at the Lord’s house, where Eli was observing her. Eli could see her mouth moving, but not what she was saying, and thought she was drunk. Her response made me ask the question to myself, “Have I ever prayed so fervently that someone thought I was drunk?”

I love Hannah’s response to Eli, the priest. She was honest and filled with humility and grace. Something I’m not sure I would be filled with if someone had accused me of being drunk.

Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.

1 Samuel 1:15-16

God Hears and Cares

I stopped because once again, I heard God say, “I hear you.” In my anguish and grief, God reminded me, I was not alone.

Hannah’s and my prayers are different but equally important to God. All of our prayers matter to God. Some prayers we pray, and we seem to get our answers quickly, and others we may still be waiting for answers, but God hears.  

All our prayers matter to God. Click To Tweet

The best is yet to come for each of us. Do you know how I know? Because Samuel 1:20 says, “So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I asked the Lord for him.’”

God answered Hannah’s prayer after many years, and she named her firstborn son Samuel. Do you know what Samuel’s name means?

Are you ready for the mic drop?

Samuel’s name means, “Heard by God!”

It was at the moment that I knew God does continue to hear my prayer. I still don’t have an answer, but I know God hears me just like God heard Hannah.

Related Post: 3 Things You Find in the Waiting

Don’t Settle for Instant Gratification

Is there something you have been praying about that you have been waiting for an answer like me? Don’t give up! Yes, it can be frustrating, but the lessons we learn while praying and waiting are priceless. I believe the biggest part of our problem is we live in a world of instant gratification.

Everything is at our fingertips. We want food; we go through a drive-through. We set the timer on our coffee pot at night to be ready before opening our eyes in the morning. If we need to know how to do anything, we google it.

We don’t know how to wait for anything.

Why?

Because we have been duped into thinking if our prayers aren’t answered in our timeframe,  God doesn’t hear our prayer.

But that is simply not true.

God’s answer may not always be the one we desire, and we may have to wait longer than we expect, but God hears us, and Hannah is the proof.

God Hears You

I am thankful that God hears our prayers loud and clear, and even when we become frustrated, anxious, or fearful in waiting, we can trust and know that God hears us and will answer in His perfect timing.