Prayer and Time

Foundation thoughts: God created this world, with its oxygen and all kinds of food to sustain His creatures. He also created gravity for us. And He created time for us. He provided the safety of boundaries for me, and I understand the rules, the limitations of life on earth.

God exists outside of those things he made for my living environment. He's bigger than that. I am from the earliest moments a limited creature. For instance, I can't be in two places at the same time. God is outside those structures. He exists outside of time, for example, so he is not bound by the linear days/months/years that I know. God can see my entire lifespan in a single glance. I, of course, can only see it a day at a time.

Imagine this scenario: I pray for something on January 1. God answers immediately, granting my prayer and determining that the thing I've prayed for will take place November 25. I asked; He answered. It's a done deal. However, because of my limitations, I won't see His answer to my prayer for almost a year.

So here's the question: what does my mindset look like from January 1 until November 25 ?

#1 -- Do I get frustrated with God because I don't see an immediate response to my prayer? I confess that my 2008 American mindset is skewed toward immediate gratification in all areas of my life.

#2 -- Do I pray faithfully (like the widow petitioning the judge) for two weeks or six weeks or twelve weeks before I declare that the bible's teachings are a crock? After all, the Bible says that we have not because we ask not. The Bible says ask and we shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened. The Bible says pray and believe that God will answer. I often assume that the scripture implies a quick turnaround.

#3 -- Do I believe that God responds immediately, but the answer may not be visible to me until later? Practically speaking, how do we live faithfully for the eleven months until we see the hard evidence of God's faithfulness to us? This is a fundamental challenge to those of us who strive to live by faith, but are plagued by that little voice that whispers, 'you are an idiot to believe!'

On several very obvious occasions in my life I have prayed fervently to God, asking him to work his power in a situation. In one case the answer came five years later. In another case the problem was resolved seven months down the road.

In those instances, do I believe that God took no action, and things finally just worked themselves out? Do I believe that God just didn't get around to responding to my prayers until later? Or do I believe that God took action immediately on my behalf and that due to my own limitations in time, I didn't see God's work until it happened later in my life?

Perhaps this thinking sheds some light on the scripture, "Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11.24)

If I believe that God always answers my prayers immediately (whether I see the answers today or years later), that changes the way I approach him, that changes the way I deal with my circumstances during the gap from January 1 until November 25.

I can KNOW that God has heard and answered my prayer. I can know that I will see God's answers bye and bye; I can "wait on the Lord." It is a lifestyle that is characterized by faith that God is powerful, keeps His promises, and works all things together for my good.