Often we hear about His way and how His way is greater than our own. But I think that we can often get caught up in 'our way' rather than His way. We think with a human mind as to what His way looks like and how it can be done.
When we are waiting for a season, or for the end of a season, the prayers we make are usually for something - something that, perhaps, we can measure, and know when the prayer is answered.
When we pray, sometimes we find ourselves in a place where we're needing that prayer to be answered in a way that we can understand. But if we take a step back, we recognise that, in fact, we are praying for things that are secondary to His way. Because no matter what we pray for, the prayer will be answered in His way. So, what is God's way of answering prayer?
His way
I think God answers prayer with patience. With timing. With care. With goodness. With love. I think each and every prayer is heard and planned out even before it was prayed by us.
He is taking us (you) on a journey right now. And maybe you are in a place where you're praying every day with love and discipline in dedication to your relationship with Him. Or, maybe you're in a place where you don't usually pray, but you're praying a lot at the moment because you need something. Perhaps relief, support, love for someone else or just hope. You're praying in need.
Or perhaps you just don't pray much at all. Or maybe, you don't feel that you need to. Regardless, we are all on a journey and our journey is His plan, and therefore His way.
No unexpected prayer
So, when you do pray, when you take that time, when you're on your knees, when you close your eyes before dinner or you just take a moment on your way to work - He already saw it, and at the very least, He was already there with you in that moment. It didn't take Him by surprise. He didn't go, "Oh, that's a new one on the menu!"
Rather, He rejoices that you reached out and you consciously wanted to bring Him in, to put hope in Him and do what you need to do with Him. He rejoices with that because He was already doing that all along. You just decided to join Him.
God answers your prayer
He's working on that prayer even before you say it. He's working on a part of your life before you even get to it. Whether you are someone who prays when in need, or someone who prays every day, so much so that it feels like forever for prayers to be answered; whether you wait five years or have it answered tomorrow, He answers the prayer with patience and timing.
His patience and His timing, not ours. The perfect, real, loving, kind, caring, patience and time that answers prayers according to His plan, in His way.
We praise, we love and we pray to the same God, to the God who is good, who is caring, who is kind. And who answers prayer in His way, with the perfect amount of patience and the perfect amount of time.
Bless you. Amen.
