Around Christmastime last year, I received a phone call from the daughter of a lady I met while volunteering at a local nursing home. She had a multitude of health issues and as she recounted them, my heart went out to her. She was particularly upset that her medical problems and upcoming treatments would inhibit her ability to travel to Florida to see her Mom for the holidays. As she spoke, God whispered in my ear "Can you pray on demand?" I thought to myself what is praying on demand? How do I process this? This woman felt her prayers to God were unheard and that she was alone in this process she was experiencing. After pondering this thought for a bit, I realized the gravity of the inquiry. We've all had that time in our walk with the Lord, where we just felt like a specific prayer was not being heard. Like God is suddenly profoundly deaf to our perceived urgency. We then begin to second guess ourselves, examine if we have an un-repented sin or decide we're not in the right spiritual place to hear God concerning our petition.
We never consider the fact that there is a reason God is not answering immediately. We never think there is a safety in waiting or trusting the timing of God beyond the circumstances we see. Beloved, God doesn't punish us with waiting. He doesn't punish us with anything because His desire is to watch us prosper and grow into the divine being He has created us to be. It's in the wait that our faith is truly refined. I read once that faith is a verb. It's an ongoing action of belief. If our faith is always being refined and there is a blessing in waiting, why is it that we seek out others to pray for us when the answer doesn't manifest quickly enough? Why do we seek out others that we for whatever reason deem more spiritual to get a prayer through? Why do we believe others are capable of praying on demand to get the results we desire?
We are fleshly beings housing spiritual perfection. God is fully aware that as humans our flesh will fail us which will result in moments in our lives where we will waver in trusting Him. He knows we need constant reminders of His love and grace daily. He knows that in this life we'll have tribulation that will sometimes cause us to cry out for a quick fix to some of our woes. He knows. He's aware and He's given us a comforter who understands.
When times of doubt arise, looking to Jesus is our comfort. While He was in the flesh, He was fully God yet fully man. Just knowing this, we can be at peace within. Jesus knows and has experienced every single human emotion. There is no need for us to become restless in waiting or impatient with God's timing. When the fullness of time came, Jesus was born. His life was all about timing. Every miracle, every healing, every ounce of His suffering and death on the cross was about the Father's timing. We're not at the station we occupy in this life accidentally. God has a purpose and a plan. We have to remember to seek Him and trust that no matter how grave we imagine our circumstance, it is in His timing that all things will eventually work together for the good. We don't have to impose upon others to pray on demand. God loves us and He hears every petition we present to Him. He loves us more than we could ever imagine. In times of peril we can reassure ourselves that God loves us MORE than the calamity that may have befallen us and His grace is sufficient to carry us through even the worst of times.
Are we qualified to "pray on demand"? Of course we are! We are children of the most high God. We can invoke our Godly authority to speak life, healing, health or prosperity into any situation that seems otherwise bleak. He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. Let us rest in the comfort that comes from a love that endures beyond the grave with roots so deep that time itself is unable to number.
Be encouraged and blessed child of the MOST HIGH GOD!
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Dr. Denise Joyce Williams is married and resides in Florida. Her articles have been featured in several national magazines. Her latest book, "Chambers of the Believing Heart" was released by Publish America in June 2012. For more information regarding her work please visit: TheBrokenVessel-Author! or visit her blog: TheBrokenVesselSpeaks-Blogger!.
