"I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…" Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Do you remember being a kid and asking your mom for something and hearing her respond “Maybe…we’ll see”?Perhaps you have answered your own children in kind.Why do we do that? My mom usually meant no but kept the peace and bought some time by saying… “maybe, we’ll see.” Or “maybe later.”Some people just have trouble being decisive so it is easier to have the other person come back time and again than to be right up front and say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.There are even times when we say that to ourselves, especially when we want something that we probably shouldn’t have or go somewhere that we can’t afford or buy something we really don’t need… we just might hold off convincing ourselves of the truth with a “maybe…maybe later.”
What about when the answer isn’t cut and dried because there are so many elements or directions an answer can take? Inevitably it comes down to a yes or no…
Now I know what you are thinking….even God says ‘wait’ once in a while.If you think about it…the answer ‘wait’ falls under yes or no.Don’t make the mistake of thinking that if God is saying ‘wait’, it’s because eventually He will change his mind.Perhaps if you are to wait it is because you need to grow spiritually in order to receive a direct answer to prayer. It isn’t unreasonable to think that we often times ask the Father for things we are not ready for…even as we have refused a request from a child or made them wait until they were ready for what they were asking.
You most likely have heard the expression “be careful what you ask for…you might get it.”I think that too relates to how God answers.Are you relentless in how you ask for things that you need but fall short of consistency when it comes to intervening on another’s behalf in prayer?Are your prayers of supplication full of desire but empty of sincerity?
Ask yourself…if you had the opportunity to expose another’s shortcomings by granting their wishes (you know...the 'let him hang himself' attitude) or withholding their requests to protect them (so that they don't bring harm to themselves or others), how would you handle it?We neither have the wisdom nor the insight to be given that kind of power.God, however, knows exactly when and how to bring all things into our lives.
In a letter from the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord sent a message to His people “I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”Wow!That very personal message came at a time when his people had been in exile.
Sometimes we have to wait in order to receive the outcome of our prayer needs according to his Godly timing.We are not always ready as we think we are to absorb the blessings of God.
Look at what it says starting in verse 5 – (where you are) build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat the produce; allow your sons and daughters to marry; “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you… Pray to the Lord for it because if it prospers…YOU will too!THEN in verses 12-14 there is the promise to his people to be returned out of exile to the exact place they had left – God would answer their prayer…his way.When you do as he directs He will listen to you; when you call on him and pray to him for your needs he will take action. You need to...you have to TRUST God! This portion of scripture recently brought me great comfort.I had been asking myself for some time… “Am I where I am supposed to be?Am I to serve my God here?”My heart swelled with excitement because I KNEW that He had spoken to my heart and made things very clear.I am to serve Him where He has placed me.I’m not to second guess.What about you…are you serving – anywhere?
God never forgets where we are or looks away at what we are attempting to accomplish for him. However, it is just as important for us to never forget where God is and what he desires to accomplish in our lives for His purpose – While you may be waiting on God, in truth, He may be waiting for you.....to do what? He wants you to be totally committed to Him, to trust Him and obey Him...
God will answer yes or no and you may even have to wait for the answer, but it will never be “Maybe…we’ll see.”
Walking in Peace / division of C.O.P.E. Women's Ministries Sue Puff, author