Have you been praying for
a specific request for what seems like forever and wonder if God is ever going
to answer it? I have.
If God came to you, as He
did to some in the Bible, asking, “What do you need,” do you know how you would
respond?
I’ve been praying for my
brother’s healing for over twenty years. He is disabled due to a degenerative
disease of the spine complicated by a car wreck years ago. He’s had four neck vertebrae
fused and has limited range of motion in his neck. He is in constant pain even
with a pain medicine pump surgically inserted into his abdominal cavity with
leads that run to his spine. The combination of medications it pumps out lessen
the pain but don’t remove it. Some of the medicines have caused him to be
diabetic and are now causing liver issues.
I’ve prayed for my sister’s
salvation for decades.
I know God hears my
prayers, and some prayers have been answered in miraculous ways. The truth is,
God can answer our prayers by saying yes, no or not yet. That’s where I’m
living with these two desires of my heart, in the not yet. God hasn’t chosen to
heal them (physically for one and spiritually for the other), but He hasn’t
said no either. So I’m living in the not yet.
There are others living
here with me; several friends who are praying for their marriages, three women
I know who are yearning to be totally healed from the effects of child sexual abuse,
some who are trying to move on from failed marriages but the spouse is causing
havoc in their new lives, and a couple of singles who are praying for the mate God has
reserved for them.
What do we do while
living here in the not yet?
1) We keep praying, just
as fervently as ever, while we keep our eyes and ears tuned to God so we don’t
miss even the tiny miracles He performs in answer to those prayers. Sometimes
the answer requires multiple steps to get everything lined up for the big
reveal.
2) We search ourselves to
see if there is a lesson we need to learn along the way and try to discover
what it is and learn it quickly so as not to prolong the answer.
3) We keep loving God
with all our heart, soul, mind and strength because we know He loves us and is
working out a perfect future that will be for our good and His glory.
4) We support each other
knowing that living here is not easy and can drain us of our strength. It’s during
those times that we take on the prayers of someone else so they can rest from
the labor for a while and be refreshed for the battle. If we constantly pour
out of ourselves and don’t take time to refill, we won’t be able to fight to
the end.
Are you living here with
us in the not yet? What is your heart’s desire? How can I help you in the
battle?
Going out with joy today –
Cathy
