Of the three responses to prayer, I think this one is the hardest. If God says yes to your prayer, you praise him and move on. If the answer is no… well, that is hard. It’s hard to face that closed door, but even then you can find praise and turn away from that door and turn to the path he’s set for you.
But to wait?
To come to a halt?
To put your plans, your hopes and dreams, on hold?
That, I think, is the hardest thing to do.
Waiting feels like you’re standing before a closed door and hoping and expecting that it will open. You’ve not been given a yes or a no, so you wait and you hope. But it’s so hard because while you’re waiting there’s always the question of whether or not the answer is actually no and you need to move on.
Or, perhaps, you feel that the waiting is an uphill battle. You know you’re on the right path that the door will open, but you have to walk a path full of sorrow and pain and it’s so easy to forget in the waiting to praise. It’s so easy to forget that you are not alone. That God is right there with you. Because when he answers your prayer, whether the answer is yes, no, or wait, he will not abandon you. Even when you wail and beat against his chest in protest of the answer, he will still be there. He will hold you and guide you through your grief. For he will never leave you and he will never forsake you.
So, my friend, if you find yourself waiting, lean into him. Take strength from him and keep walking the path laid before you. For your waiting will not be in vain.
