When my youngest daughter turned 14, I began praying for God to help her build self-confidence. Abigail was sweet and thoughtful, but was shy and easily overwhelmed if asked to try something new.
I saw her many talents and longed for Abigail to have the courage to follow her dreams. My prayer: “God, bless my sweet girl with confidence so she’s not afraid of the world around her.”
Silly me, I expected that overnight God would zap Abigail and she’d wake up with big boss girl confidence and energy. It seemed the opposite happened. For a long time, nothing changed. Fear started to bubble under my faith.
Now, I can see where I feared a setback, God was setting up the answer to my prayer.
When Abigail was 16 years old, we had only one vehicle, and I traveled a lot. Since Abbie needed to drive to school, I explained that she’d need to drop me off at the airport several times a month. Abbie was terrified, but there was no choice.
Abigail begged me to drive on that first trip, but I knew she needed to face that fear. She clicked the seatbelt; her eyes glistened with tears. The airport was 45 minutes away in another state. Abigail gripped the steering wheel and navigated busy interstate expressways packed with cars that switched lanes without warning and large semis with no regard for an anxious teen doing brave things.
But my girl did it! Over the next year, Abigail drove me back and forth, even learning to weave in and out of our busy airport’s congested departures and arrivals lanes. I knew she dreaded each trip, but my courageous girl kept showing up.
On one trip, I saw how far she’d come.
Abbie was late picking me up. It was after midnight. I paced back and forth in baggage claim. After a few missed calls, she finally answered her phone. “I’m so sorry, Mom. After studying at Stacy’s house, I saw that our car’s headlight was out. I drove to Walmart, bought a new bulb, and changed it myself in Stacy’s driveway with a flashlight and a YouTube video. I’m leaving now to pick you up, okay?” When she arrived, my sweet girl wasn’t flustered. Instead, she was proud because she figured out a big car problem and fulfilled her responsibility to pick me up.
Look at God! We had one car due to a family crisis, and yet, God used that circumstance to not only answer my prayer but also form a kind of God-confidence in my daughter’s being that reshaped the trajectory of her life. Only God!
Listen to what the prophet Isaiah records as God speaks to His people:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV
Do you know what God has that we don’t have? Spiritual vision.
God can see what we can’t see and know what we don’t know. While we may be praying about our specific situations, God answers our prayers according to His love for us and His eternal plan.
Years ago, I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane while it cruised at 10,000 feet in the air. It was intense! After free-falling for ten seconds, my parachute opened, and as I floated a thousand feet above the ground, I could see the world from a different perspective at ground level. Same with God. He sits high and sees across space and time and into hearts and minds.
In my thinking, God could have fixed Abigail’s confidence problem with just the mighty touch of His hand. After all, nothing is impossible for God. Yet, God saw what I couldn’t see in the bigger picture. He did a deep, lasting work in her, slowly over time.
While God can drop a miracle at any moment, could it be that the slow, steady answer to our persistent prayers is actually the better path for us?
The slow answer to prayer means God deeply transforms our mindset and heart attitudes for lasting obedience.
The slow answer to prayer lets us experience the unwavering faithfulness of God while we wait.
The slow answer to prayer allows unbelievers to witness our journey and see us giving God glory even while we wait.
The slow answer to prayer makes our character stronger and deepens our hope in God.
Where have you been frustrated by a slow answer to your prayers? As you reflect on my Abigail’s journey, can you see where the slow answer to prayer has been a blessing for you?
If you’re struggling with waiting on God, I’d like to pray for you:
God, I pray for my friend, awaiting an answer to prayer. Would you reassure her heart that Your timing is the best? I pray for her to sense Your grace and peace while she waits. Open her eyes to see where You’re working while she’s waiting. Amen.
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