“Don’t be impatient. Wait for the Lord, and he will come and save you! Be brave, stouthearted, and courageous. Yes, wait and he will help you.”
— Psalm 27:14, TLB

We often pray for various things in our lives; however, we can get impatient when we don’t know when or whether they will happen. True faith includes being patient and remembering that God has our best interest at heart. This also includes believing that God knows just the right time to act. The challenge is to trust His timing; we may have to exercise much patience and trust.

An example of being patient is praying for the salvation of our loved ones. It’s not uncommon to see believers praying for family members to be saved for 20, 30, or even 40 years without results. We begin to wonder if God has heard our prayers, and if He has, why He hasn’t answered the way we hoped He would.

A Christian colleague shared an incredible answer to his prayer. This took place while he was visiting his 101-year-old mother who lived in a care home. Shortly after arriving, his mother told him how she dreamed about being in heaven and how much she wanted to go there. He saw this opportunity as an answer to his prayer and invited his mother to ask Jesus to forgive her sins and to receive new life. With great emotion, she immediately and emphatically said, “YES!” which was amazing given her weakened state.

My colleague was overwhelmed with emotion, having had the immense privilege of seeing God bring the answer to fifty years of praying for and witnessing to his mother. Ten days later, she passed away, and he is eternally grateful that she is now safe with Jesus. God’s timing is perfect, never early and never late. He knows what is best for us and will lead us to the right place, at the right time. Take heart! Persist in prayer and wait for the Lord to act.

REFLECTION
1. Is there something for which you have been praying that remains unanswered?  How does Psalm 27:14 encourage you today?
2. What would it look like for you to be strong, take heart, and wait for the Lord in this matter?

Bill Wong is a Chaplain and the Assistant Pastor at Vancouver Chinese Alliance Church.

Photo credit: schaazzz via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-SA