Have you ever had your back against the wall and saw no way out of a situation and even when you prayed, nothing changed?
I think we've all been there.
No plan B. No safety net. No control of the situation.
A couple of years ago I thought everything was fine. I logged onto work as I had done for two years and by the end of the day I was without a job. Never saw it coming. I was blindsided. Suddenly for the first time in my adult life I was unemployed.
I won't lie. It hurt me bad. It shook me. I never saw it coming.
As you can imagine, my prayer life ramped up after that happened. After taking 24 hours to recover from the shock I started looking for a job. I had a lead and thought I was going to slide into it but the company kept delaying. I prayed and thought it was God's will. The waiting continued and my funds were soon running out. I finally resigned that if God didn't do something that it wasn't going to get done. I had to step out on faith over my anxiety of the situation.
When it looked like nothing was going to happen, suddenly something big happened. I was hired by another company for a better position with more money. It was no coincidence. It was God.
We can pray and plead with God but we eventually have to leave it with Him. We can't make God do anything. He either does it or He doesn't. And if He doesn't He's still doing something. Just because God doesn't do it our way doesn't mean He's not doing anything. Timing is often in God's plan for us. The pressure is on God - not us when we pray. We pray and leave the results to Him.
There are times when we feel absolutely certain that we are praying God's will yet we see no results. It appears that God isn't doing anything. Those are the hardest - and most important times - to have faith. Having faith in God when we see no results is one of the hardest things a believer can experience.
When God doesn't answer, we have to assume there is a reason. God can do anything He wants to do when He wants to do it. He doesn't need our permission or manipulative prayers to do it. Our prayers should not be able dictating outcomes or demanding instant results from God. That's not how He works. God is about building a relationship and aligning our desires with His will. God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours and His timing is often different from our expectations. Trust in God's timing and that it will work together for His purpose.
Prayer only works when we put ourselves in alignment with God.
When I was going through the time I lost my job and was desperately looking for another one, the song "Desert Road" was released by Casting Crowns. Very timely for my situation. The chorus in this song gave me strength through it.
I don't know where this is goin'But I know who holds my hand
It's not the path I would've chosen
But I'll follow You to the end
Lord, as long as I am breathin'
I will make Your glory known
Even if it means I'm walkin'
On this desert road
