I started praying about three months ago for specific people and opportunities. Some of the answers to my prayers are still not clear, but others have begun to form. The amazing thing is the timing of these answers. I am learning that God fulfills requests in such a way as to sustain me to continue to do his will.
Matthew 7:7-8 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door is opened.
When read in context of what Jesus had just finished teaching his disciples in the previous two chapters it is clear that he is calling them to pray for spiritual sustenance. The power of this scripture, something that I had missed in the past, is that it doesn’t end on just the “ask”. The next parts require more work – seeking, looking intently, and knocking when I come upon a closed door or any obstacle. It doesn’t say when or how, but it does say that an answer will come.
Matthew 11:2-3When John heard on prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”
John was not sure if Jesus was the one because Jesus wasn’t exactly who anyone was expecting. When it comes to God, the answers rarely come in the form we expect them to. However, one thing we can be sure of, an answer will come and it will always be for our very best. Interviews for positions, and counseling others, have come over the past few months after God’s preparations. The preparations were not always evident or pleasant for that matter. I spent many a morning doubting or confused as to why certain things were happening. In the midst of the waiting it was hard at times but looking back I was not ready for what was to come. God always sets us up for success. Accepting this has helped me to trust all the more in his timing and release the things I hold most dear into his hands.
In Matthew 7:9-11, Jesus continues to describe God’s character. He will not mock us or give us something harmful. He will meet our needs and then some. God’s idea of good may be different from mine but it is always better. When I accept this I can focus more on loving and giving more to others because I know that he is meeting my every need, in his perfect time. Someone recently said, “God’s answer [to our prayers] is either yes, not now, or I have something better.” I have truly seen this in my life all the more clearly. If you pray in faith, and seek his will, even through the fuzzy times, as you get to know his character better, I am convinced you will see it too.
Originally published at http://www.liveasif.org/. Used with permission.
About Kasia:
God’s brought me a long way from the New York City Housing Projects. I studied the Bible, repented, and was baptized for the forgiveness of my sins when I was 17 and have been repenting and striving towards heaven ever since. The hardest thing about becoming a Christian at 17 was trusting that God would take care of me, meet my emotional teen needs, and help me overcome my enormous insecurities…what else would a teen girl have trouble with?
Since those first days, I have made it out of the Projects, finished my Masters degree in International Development, and moved to DC to work in my field. As a young single Christian woman my struggles today are a little different than they were when I first came to know God, but who am I kidding, not much. It’s the every day battle for my heart to be pure before God, to strive to please him, and help others to seek and know Him.
Over my years of a faithful walk with God I have received much grace and compassion and have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams. Throughout it all one thing has stayed consistent: God’s word. Through His word I have been inspired and it has kept me faithful even when faith seemed like a foreign concept and God seemed deaf to my prayers. I started emailing my Quiet Times which helped me stay accountable as I shared my struggles and fought for understanding. Some wrote back and said they too were inspired and could relate. I hope some of my times can help inspire others who are seeking and fighting just like I am, to get to heaven and take as many as possible with me along the way.
