By Jacqui – One of God’s Intercessors
Recently, I prayed asking God for an invitation to pray at a certain event. That invitation came during the afternoon at the end of the week. It was for first thing the following Monday morning. I was thrilled. Then, I sat and shook my head. When would I prepare for this?
In case you’re wondering, I said, “Yes”, and I'm glad I did. God has taught me in the past that it’s not wise to pray for something and then refuse it because it didn’t come looking the way I thought it would or during a time period that was convenient. I needed to be prepared for God’s answer!
A missionary who has become a dear friend of mine once told me, “You pray and you plan.” At first, I thought, “What does he mean?” You pray and you plan. How can you plan if you don’t know what the answer to the prayer will be?
It means we pray believing God will answer. We pray in faith. It means that if I pray for an invitation to travel to a specific field and I don’t renew my passport, I didn’t really pray in faith. I prayed hoping God might answer. If I pray and then I go renew my passport, make sure my suitcase is in decent condition and buy a new pair of walking shoes, then I prayed in faith. I prayed and I planned. I planned for God to answer.
God’s timing is perfect. But, it is not always expected. God’s answers are perfect. But, they don’t always come looking like we thought they would. I once prayed with a lady for a situation involving her granddaughter. Later, she came to me excited that God answered the prayer. A problem arose that was completely unexpected for her granddaughter. However, the problem actually provided a most desired answer to her grandmother’s prayer! The woman laughed and shared with me that she started to be upset about the new problem until she realized that God was answering her prayer.
If you’re praying, you may want to get ready for the answer to that prayer. It could come when you least expect it!