Trust in God's Timing
Mark 8:22-25; Luke 11:5-9
You probably have heard someone say, “God is always on time, but He sure misses a lot of opportunities to be early!” The fact is, we like to be in control and set our own timetable for things to be done, including answers to prayer.
You might know someone who has waited for years for an answer to prayer for healing. Maybe you are that person, and you wonder if there is any use in praying any longer.
There is. Don’t give up.
Sometimes healing comes in stages. When Jesus encountered a blind man in Mark 8:22-25, He simply “spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him” (verse 23). However, the man could see only partially. So Jesus put His hands on the man’s eyes and, suddenly, the man could see clearly. For that man, healing came in two stages. But what about healing that doesn’t come after years of praying?
In Luke 11:5-9, Jesus told a parable about someone going to a friend’s house at midnight to ask for something to feed a guest who had just arrived. His friend is understandably distressed because of the late hour and refuses initially. Jesus noted, however, that though the man is distressed, he will get up and give what’s needed, not because of friendship, but because of his friend’s persistence. Thus, Jesus instructed in verse 9:
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (verse 9).
In His time and in His way, God will answer.
If you are struggling with unanswered prayer, don’t stop. Keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.
Describe how you or someone you know has felt about praying for healing over a long period of time without receiving the answer he or she is looking for.
How have you or has someone you know experienced a victory after persisting in prayer for a long time?ô
Mark 8:22-25; Luke 11:5-9
You probably have heard someone say, “God is always on time, but He sure misses a lot of opportunities to be early!” The fact is, we like to be in control and set our own timetable for things to be done, including answers to prayer.
You might know someone who has waited for years for an answer to prayer for healing. Maybe you are that person, and you wonder if there is any use in praying any longer.
There is. Don’t give up.
Sometimes healing comes in stages. When Jesus encountered a blind man in Mark 8:22-25, He simply “spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him” (verse 23). However, the man could see only partially. So Jesus put His hands on the man’s eyes and, suddenly, the man could see clearly. For that man, healing came in two stages. But what about healing that doesn’t come after years of praying?
In Luke 11:5-9, Jesus told a parable about someone going to a friend’s house at midnight to ask for something to feed a guest who had just arrived. His friend is understandably distressed because of the late hour and refuses initially. Jesus noted, however, that though the man is distressed, he will get up and give what’s needed, not because of friendship, but because of his friend’s persistence. Thus, Jesus instructed in verse 9:
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (verse 9).
In His time and in His way, God will answer.
If you are struggling with unanswered prayer, don’t stop. Keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.
Describe how you or someone you know has felt about praying for healing over a long period of time without receiving the answer he or she is looking for.
How have you or has someone you know experienced a victory after persisting in prayer for a long time?ô
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