Category Archives: Prayer

Dot to Dot

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When lightning streaks across the sky and we hear a clap of thunder, we see the lightning well ahead of hearing the sound. Of course there’s a scientific explanation for this, but it’s also a great illustration of how God answers prayer.

I think of the heartfelt longings parents have for their children, praying fervently over them for literally decades, waiting and waiting for results. We pray for the sick to be healed and for those suffering pain to be set free, but nothing happens. We cry out to God to save the lost and strengthen the weak. And widows beg him to rescue them from despondency, fear or loneliness. Why doesn’t he answer?

All of us can be overcome by discouragement when we pray and don’t see quick answers, but despite feeling that God doesn’t always hear us, he does. And he always answers. I believe as our prayers reach him, whether they’re uttered with eloquent words or tearful moans, he puts his answers into motion right then.

I like to picture my life on a timeline. A dot somewhere on the line represents my current dilemma and my plea for God’s help. He immediately places another dot on the line representing his answer, but not necessarily right next to where I am. From my spot, I can’t see his dot, but it’s sitting there, down the line.

Day by day I move closer to his dot, his answer. During moments when I feel he hasn’t heard or maybe doesn’t care, I tell myself the dot is perched somewhere ahead of me, awaiting my arrival. Just knowing I’ll eventually come to it causes me to wait better.

From God’s vantage point, the entire time line in visible, starting with the dot representing my birth to the one marking my death. He’s interested in what happens all along the line, not just at any one point. If I don’t see or hear him immediately after I pray, this should never be cause for doubting that he has already acted on my behalf.

Scripture is full of references to the proper timing of events: “about that time, when the time had come, in the fullness of time, at the appointed time, in the course of time.” We’ve all heard the expression, “Timing is everything,” and of course God’s timing is never off. We may not like where he puts his answer-dot, but his placement is made with precision and purpose.

As sure as lightning follows thunder, his answers will follow our prayers… even though they may not come lightning-fast.

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears. Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth. The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.” (2 Samuel 22:7,13-14,17)

Loving the List

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Getting older equates to less mental recall and more written lists. Anne Ortlund used to say, “When you write it down, it clears out your head,” implying limited thinking capacity but unlimited pen and ink.

I’m with Anne.

My prayer list is particularly long, which may or may not have freed up mind-space, but I defiinitely need that list. And once someone’s name goes on it, there’s only one reason to take it off: no more requests.

I remember the first time it occurred to me Nate no longer needed prayer. Being my husband, he was #1 on the list and factored heavily into my conversations with God. What a funny feeling to see his name there and realize my praying for him was done. Every request had either been answered or was no longer necessary.

When someone dies, their need for our prayer evaporates, but that’s not all that disappears. We can no longer claim biblical promises for that one or request salvation for a person who didn’t know. Opportunities to tell our faith story or testify of God’s work in our lives also end. Although death brings a conclusion to disease and pain, it also terminates our chances to stand in the gap for someone else.

Tending to a prayer list is a golden opportunity to do a good deed for another, and Scripture has much to say about good deeds. They can be offered to God for his use, and sometimes he even lets us take part in his supernatural work of answering prayer requests. Praying through a prayer list is the most powerful gift we can give to anyone, whether the people know we’re praying or not.

This weekend our area endured 48 hours of the most impressive winds I’d ever experienced. Sixty mph gales toppled trees and twisted massive branches to the ground. Sticks were rammed into windshield wipers and tire rims. As I listened to endless debris hitting our windows and roof, one especially large limb landed with such force it shook the whole house, causing even Jack to jump from out of a sound sleep.

Lying in bed that night with the electricity out and winds clawing at the house, I thought of God’s power to abort any storm. Jesus could have stepped onto my front porch and whispered, “Wind, that’s enough,” and it would have stopped like a spinning kite hitting the ground. That same magnificent power is exactly what’s behind our prayer lists, provided we pray over them.

Though Nate’s name has been removed from my list, many others are still there including you, blog reader. And until God stills the storms of earthly life, both literally and figuratively, he’ll make himself and his 60 mph power available to all of us… through prayer.

“When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6)

Keeping Secrets

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A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about a wedding gift I’d lost track of before attending the wedding. (July 19, “Keeping Track”) The day before the event, I was sure God would let me bump into it, because he’s famous for his 11th hour rescues. But I went to the wedding with a check instead of the vase I’d chosen from the bride and groom’s registry, disappointed in myself and in God.

It’s been several weeks since that happy occasion, but I’ve continued to hunt for the gift, hating the fact that my brain wasn’t sharp enough to remember where I’d put it. God knew where it was, since there’s no secret he doesn’t know, but he wouldn’t tell me. And why was I surprised? He’s all about secrets.

Most of the “why’s” behind life’s unanswered questions are secrets known only to him. Of course he’s God Almighty and doesn’t have to answer to anyone, but there’s another reason behind his secret-keeping.

He’s trying to set an example for the rest of us.

Jesus gives three illustrations of when secrecy should trump openness. The first is our gift-giving. God’s recommendation is that we keep it under wraps. To make his point, he tells us we shouldn’t even let our left hand know what our right is doing. In other words, we should make a big effort to give gifts in secret with no one’s knowledge but God’s. He keeps the books and won’t miss seeing what we do.

Jesus’ second teaching on keeping secrets applies to fasting. Although biblical fasting remains mysterious in terms of how God applies it to our lives, he clearly states we’re to look and act nourished while depriving ourselves of food, keeping it a secret whenever possible. God sees, and that should be enough. After all, he’s the one who will respond to it.

The third secrecy-subject is prayer. Although praying out loud in groups is appropriate, the majority of our prayer ought to be done in secret, one-on-one with God. His instructions are, “Get alone. Shut the door. Pray in private.” He’ll hear us perfectly, and we’ll hear him better then, too.

Giving, praying or fasting with the hope of being noticed negates God’s plans for us. He wants to shower us with goodies he calls “rewards”, but he says he’ll hold those back, if our motives aren’t pure.

And he makes no secret of that.

As for the lost wedding gift, I finally gave up searching, and immediately after that, I found it, nestled in the corner of a 2’ x 3’ box I was about to pitch. God waited until I quit making demands of him, and then he showed me.

We’re not privy to most of his secrets, but once in a while he does let us in on one. Woo hoo!

“The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)