we all wander

God will answer your prayers. He just doesn’t always give you the answers you want to hear. 

• “No, I love you too much.”
• “Yes, but you’ll have to wait.”
• “Yes, but not what you expected.”
• “Yes, and here’s more!”
• “Yes, I thought you’d never ask.” 

Five Ways God Answers Prayers by Luis Palau

See - most of those were a “yes.” He loves to tell us yes. When He says no, it is because He has a better plan for you, and He loves you way too much to let you walk the wrong path. It is sometimes frustrating because we always want immediate responses to our prayers. It doesn’t work like that - sometimes we have to wait. And sometimes we don’t realize that our prayers were answered until much later. 

At the beginning of this year, I was complaining to my “mentor” of the bible study I was in about how nothing in the Bible related to my life. I thought all the Scripture was old and didn’t relate to anything modern day. Did the Israelites have college and majors and tests? Not really.

I don’t know when my prayer was answered, but suddenly verses kept hitting me from every direction. A verse on someone’s bracelet in my English class - a verse someone put as their Facebook status, etc. It wasn’t till I was reading my prayer journal I’ve kept up from since I was a junior in high school (yeah, still not finished with it) when I realized the Lord had answered a prayer that I’d completely forgot I made. 

It made me laugh.

Now I can’t stop seeing all these verses that pertain to my life. And it’s wonderful - a feeling of pure joy. I wanted to share this today because I know that sometimes waiting for an answer is frustrating. But He will answer. 

²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21: 22, NIV) 

There are so many worries in my life right now - I’m used to always having some sort of plan. But I have to leave it all to Him. 

¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:12-14, TNIV)

Pray. Trust Him. He’ll answer, I promise.