Sometimes we pray for one thing, but God seems to answer in a completely different way than we imagined.
Have you ever looked back and realized an unexpected answer ended up being exactly what you needed?
I most certainly have! It taught me the value of waiting on the Lord and now I know that His answer isn’t always a yes or no, but wait. I didn’t realize His answer was wait and had thought there was no answer. What I’ve learned is that He hears my prayers, even if it seems He hasn’t because there’s no response. Just knowing that He heard you is a blessing. But then to see His hand work out the situation months later, is amazing.
I have had that happen more times than I can count. Might as well give an example or two…
One time I was in a slow season with work and I got the familiar shut off notice for Utilities. I’ve been slow before and pay for work, something happens and I’m working, praise the Lord. This time I got no answer. The phone remained silent. The shut off date came and went all the while that I continued to pray it through.
I was two full weeks past the shut off date and I got scared. WHy wont the Lord answer me? Why wont He send me some work like He does a lot? Lord…?? Nothing. Drat, now what? I better call the Utility company and see what’s up with them…
Hello…I have a shut off notice for two weeks ago and I still have electric and don’t have the money to pay it yet, what can I expect?Are they on their way to shut me me off right now???..Please Hold…Oh yes Mr. K. what happened why it is still on is we took a look at your payment history and know that you are self employed and it’s very easy to see that you pay your bills if you have the money so we all decided to give you more time…
My jaw almost hit the floor! Utility companies are not liike that in my experience, that’s weird, Oh…it had to be the Lord answering my prayer! I was looking for Him to send me work and make my phone ring but He softened the hearts of the people at the utility company to, give me a break! Praise the Lord !!
Another time, after I had learned to hear the Lord’s voice to me speaking, I was praying about I don’t remember what and I asked the Lord a question, and He said, nothing. Total silence. I forget what the question was butI know it was important enough to me to continue to pray about it daily until I got an answer.
One of the mistakes I made after learning to hear the Lord’s voice was to neglect reading the word. I prayed about my question for a week to 10 days and it was like, the Lord stopped speaking to me. So out of boredom, one day I reached for my Bible. Ok it;s been too long, let’s read.
I flipped it open and looked down and the words my eyes first fell upon answered the very question that I had been praying about for 10 days. Exactly and right to the point! There is a good lesson in that for me, no matter if you can hear God’s voice or not, continue to read His Word. He will continue to speak through His word also.
So study that textbook! Read that Field Manual! And Listen…