"I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry." (Psalm 40:1)
We often feel like our prayers are ineffectual; that our cries of distress go unheard and that He takes no heed of them. We pray earnestly and sincerely, but it seems as if there is no answer. When this happens we begin to doubt our faith, or even worse, we begin to question the purpose and value of prayer. As a result, many people end up in a spiritual wilderness.
We have to realize that God is all-knowing, and consequently He views life from the perspective of eternity. We, on the other hand, cannot see beyond the present with any measure of certainty. He knows everything that awaits us, today as well as in the distant future. Consequently God's answers to your prayers take into consideration what will be best for us-today, tomorrow and all the days after. Therefore God also sometimes needs to lay a restraining hand on our impulsive spirit.
He often does this by withholding the answers to your prayers until the time is right. Never become impatient with God or try to anticipate His answers. Seek His presence in prayer and contemplation and become still before Him. In His own perfect time He will reveal Himself to you. He will answer your yearning cries for Him.
"The extent of our faith is the extent of our prayer.
The strength of our hope is the strength of our prayer.
The warmth of our love is the warmth of our prayer."
-Carlo Caretto-
