#33|Prayer, pt.3 - Waiting
Update: 2013-11-17
Description
- We have a hard time waiting because we have an instant gratification society.
- We have a hard time especially in our spiritual life waiting on prayer. Even some people in the Bible didn’t like to wait.
- Habakkuk had been praying for a long time for there to be a revival in Israel.
Habakkuk 1:2 - O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
- He waited and waited so long. God answered the prophet’s prayer but not in the way that he wanted.
- Has God ever answered your prayer in a way that you might not want?
- His first answer from God was a long time coming so he digs in for another long haul.
- He questions God on how long he will have to pray.
- This is a good example for us.
Habakkuk 2:1 - I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
- Habakkuk had 2 questions:
- Why does God often seem indifferent in the face of evil?
- Why do evil people seem to go unpunished?
- 3 Elements of waiting on prayer:
- Commitment to perseverance
- Commitment to watch
- Commitment to act
- There were no instruments to detect advancement of the enemy.
- They had men standing on the wall watching and listening for enemies to advance no matter the elements around them.
- Habakkuk was prepared and determined to stand ready and wait with spiritual eyes and ears open to listen to experience prayer with God.
- A commentary written about Habakkuk says the watch tower is the consecrated openness of the prophet for a divine word.
- The application for us is our relationship to prayer. We feel that we should not have to wait on God to answer prayer.
- God answers our prayers in one of three ways:
- yes, no, and wait.
- The answer may be delayed. It may include spiritual warfare.
- (David) Prayer involves divine purpose.
- (Abraham and Sarah) We need to learn to wait upon the Lord and it is a hard things to do.
- Our prayer may be delayed also because of our daily walk with God.
- We need to go about our daily routine knowing that God is working.
- We need to stay in the right fellowship with our Lord.
- Habakkuk said that he couldn’t see it happening but he trusted that it was.
- We need to trust God whatever comes.
- The prophet made a commitment to look for his answer (staying alert).
- He was open to whatever God had to say and not what he necessarily wanted to hear.
- Are we willing to hear what God says even if it’s not what we wanted? We have to be willing to listen to what God answers.
- Habakkuk is a prophet of God and he has not been thrilled by the answers of his prayers.
- The application for us is that we be willing to act on His answers.
- We have to say that we are going to do what God wants us to do.
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