Slideshow image
 

Therefore Yahweh waits with longing to be gracious to you,

And therefore He is on high to have compassion on you.

For Yahweh is a God of justice;

How blessed are all those who wait for Him.

Isaiah 30:18

How often do you find yourself anxious or angry because of delays? We live in a world where we can get almost anything we what at the touch of our fingertips within hours or a few days. How do you feel when you get a notification that there is a delay in shipping?

 We have become conditioned to a self-sufficient lifestyle that can stealing our joy and our gratitude. Sometimes we treat God's answers to our prayers like an Amazon package. If He does not answer our prayers immediately, or in the way that we want Him to, we get discouraged and lose hope.

I want to encourage you to not lose hope today. Be fervent in prayer, knowing that God hears the prayers of those who are His children. Maybe you have been praying for physical healing, fertility, financial needs, a career, or a family situation to be resolved. Whatever it may be, know that God hears your prayers. He answers in His time according to His will.

Sometimes God delays his response so that can seek Him with great humility and commitment. Charles H. Spurgeon wrote "God knows that delay will quicken and increase desire, and that if He keeps thee waiting thou wilt see thy necessity more clearly, and wilt seek more earnestly; and that thou wilt prize the mercy all the more for its long tarrying."

What an amazing blessing it is to know that God hears us! When He shows His grace and His steadfast love through answered prayers, let us thank Him all the more! I was reminded today of God's wonderful grace through answered prayer.

As some of you know, we started our Kid's Ministry up in September. For the first three weeks our attendance was just my two girls. I walked into my office on that third week around 6pm (right before Kid's Ministry starts) and I see my oldest daughter staring out the window, hoping that someone new would join us! It has been our prayer from the moment we arrived at Northside for new families and children in our area to join our fellowship here. It was tough to see the disappointment of my daughter, but we prayed again that God would bring people here. The next week when we met for Kid's Ministry, we had three new children show up! We praise God for hearing us and we are so grateful when He answers us!

Keep on!