Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church is sharing what God wants people to do as they wait for their prayers to be answered: Sit still and be patient.
"Have you noticed that we don't mind waiting as long as we can grumble while we wait? We don't mind waiting in the DMV line as long as we can gripe and complain about how lousy and unorganized the government is. But God says, 'Be still,'" Warren wrote on his website.
He said people who are waiting for prayers to be answered are just like little kids who get "spiritual wiggles," and they get nervous and restless. Some people even prefer to jump up and do something rather than wait any longer. But God's word is very clear: "Wait patiently. Be still. Watch me act. Don't get restless, don't get nervous, and don't try to take matters into your own hands."
Warren used Abraham's story in the Old Testament as an example. When God told Abraham that he will become the father of a great nation, Abraham grew worried since he was already 99 years old and still childless. Not to mention, his wife Sarah was also infertile.
"So Abraham took matters into his own hands and had a baby with his wife's maid, Hagar. Abraham said, 'Here's my answer to prayer! I've got a son at 99. His name is Ishmael,'" Warren shared.
But Abraham missed God's point—He was going to bless Abraham with a child through Sarah, and they will name him Isaac, which means laughter.
"When Sarah was told that she was going to be pregnant, the Bible says she laughed because she didn't believe God," Warren said. "But God had the last laugh. Isaac was born, and it started an intense rivalry between him and Ishmael—a rivalry that is still playing out today in the Middle East [as Isaac became the Father of the Jews while Ishmael became the Father of the Arabs]. The tense relationship between Jews and Arabs all began because Abraham tried to answer his own prayer request."
The pastor reminded Christians that whenever they try to answer their own prayers, they are only asking for trouble. But if they wait patiently and watch God act, then miracles will happen.
