Psalm 138:8 – The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.

You may often pray, wait awhile and then conclude that God has not answered your prayers because things did not turn out the way you expected. As a young believer I used to hear others say God always answers prayers. It is: “yes” “no” or “wait”. My experience has been that every so often the answer is immediate; sometimes the “yes” is over and above what I had asked or even considered possible, and sometimes I get to practice patience. You raise your eyebrows and ask: “What about when the answer is “no”?  Glad you ask. I have learned that “no” can only be appreciated or evaluated by looking into life’s rear view mirror. Think about some of the situations you have prayed about and what has since transpired. What would things look like now if God had not said “no”?

I had reason to think about this just over a week ago when I drove by a housing development my husband and I had wanted to buy into about three decades ago. I had prayed for and “claimed” a unit. We were on the waiting list for a long time. When the project was near completion we were notified to present banking and tax information. As it turned out our tax return for the previous year showed that our family income was $150.00 over the prescribed so we were disqualified.  Can you imagine! When I looked at the sorry condition of the neighborhood now, I had to conclude: “God, you do know the end from the beginning.”

Once you are a believer, you have to allow God to exercise his right as your wise and loving Father who will guide your steps if you let him. The Psalmist David was a man who knew what trouble was. We revere him as a King, but his life was one of dependence on God when trouble engulfed him. He learned to praise God even in the midst of his challenges and discovered what the King James Version of the Bible refers to as “loving-kindness”  (Psalm 138:2). I love that word. In my own life I equate it with the concept that God has “forever eyes”. Not only that, he has my back when I foolishly run ahead of his plans. He is eternal and knows the end from the beginning, so when I pray prayers that are selfish or short-sighted he exercises “veto power” over them. My response then is to let him have his way with my life.

David realized that God has purposes to work out in the lives of his children. He does it through discipline and with great love, and promises to be by our side in the thick of it.  Trust him.