Who Am I Becoming In The Waiting?

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

In her book, Praying Women, Published by BakerBooks, Sheila Walsh introduces us to a man who had faithfully prayed for the salvation of his wife for forty years.  As a teenage girl, Sheila asks this man, "Do you ever wonder why God hasn't answered your prayers yet?" After a quiet, thoughtful moment, this man said, "He's never failed me yet, and I don't reckon He'll start now." Years later, this man died, and when his wife saw the church packed with those who loved her husband and heard the gospel message about the One who had led her husband all his days, she finally bowed her head and prayed to be saved.  (Page 100)

In a side caption, Sheila Walsh writes, 'A lifetime is not too long to pray;' and as her Heading in the next section of her book, she writes, "Who We Are Becoming in the Waiting."

This had a profound impact on me as I read this chapter of her book this morning.  So much so, I had to share it with you.

We can make a lot of excuses for our Lord, can't we?  Excuses as to why it seems like God isn't hearing our prayers, and answering them?

Here are a few I've heard, and even a few I have used myself:

-God hears us, and He will answer in His time, not ours-

-Sometimes God is silent-

-I'm not asking in faith-

-I'm not asking in enough faith-

-I'm not asking for the right thing-

-I'm being selfish-

-I'm praying, but if it never comes to pass, it's ok-

It never dawned on me that God could be waiting to answer my prayer for someone else, to perfect something in me.

Sometimes it's not just about who we are praying for, but about the who we are becoming in the waiting.

So, who am I becoming in the waiting...?

   I hope I am becoming more like my Saviour...

       But that's just me!

"We tend to measure our understanding of God's ways and will by the outcome we see, but God is far more interested in who we are becoming in the waiting."  Sheila Walsh

Praying Women, by Sheila Walsh is Published by BakerBooks, 2020