The question was posed to the group of us, “What promises of God are you standing on in prayer?” She asked because there were several who were discouraged. They had been praying the same prayer for the same need for a length of time.

The psalmist knew what it felt like to wait for God to respond. He knew the sound of a clock ticking in the still of the night and no sign of activity –

“My eyes are straining to see your promises come true.” (Psalm 119:82, NLT)

He was straining, exerting himself to find the slightest hint of things changing. His neck was stretched and craned as he looked for a sign that God had, indeed, heard his prayer.

What are we to do during these times of waiting in the silence? How do we hold onto hope, knowing “the faithful love of the Lord never ends and His mercies are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23)?

“When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions.
Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The “worst” is never the worst.

(Lamentations 3, The Message)

In his crying, the writer of Lamentations makes these wise suggestions to us:

1. Go off by yourself. While those around us can be well-meaning in the advice they offer, we need to get alone with God to hear His voice. During His time on earth, we find several occasions when Jesus separated Himself from others in order to get alone with His Father in prayer (see Luke 5:16).
2. Enter the silence. “Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10). In our busyness, we strive to make things happen in our own strength. Stop doing. A.W.Tozer wrote, “Our strength and safety is not in noise but in silence.” Embrace quiet times and let God speak to your heart.
3. Bow in prayer. Being still is not the same as being inactive. As we are still, we humble ourselves in prayer. We share our concerns with God and our hearts are quieted.
4. Don’t ask questions. Often the questions we ask are accusatory and create doubt. Put your questions on hold for a bit until your faith is grounded and strong. Often in hindsight, we discover the answers to those same questions and they become faith building.
5. Wait for hope to appear. As we bow our hearts before God, we remember His great love for us and hope rises up within us.

Our hearts become assured that our God never leaves us in our distress. He is with us in the midst of everything. We are able to “take it full-face” because His Spirit resides in us and is mighty. We stand in His strength and not our own.

Why are we able to do this?

“Because the Master won’t ever
walk out and fail to return.”
(Lamentations 3:31, The Message)

We will see His promises come true as keep straining to see.

Today I am joining … Let Us Grow and Faith ‘N Friends .