“They . . . were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distresses.” (Psalm 107:27-28)
Why do we so often wait until we are at our “wit’s end” before running to Jesus with our troubles? Some of us send up quick prayers when we are in crisis but never make the effort to really get before Him, pour out our hearts, and ask Him to intervene in our situation. There are many reasons for this but the one I have been thinking about lately is this: we really don’t believe that God will answer us the way we desire Him to answer.
In a sense, we are right. God doesn’t always give us what we want or think we need. But He will ALWAYS give us what we truly need when we ask. Whether our request is for the miraculous, or simply for wisdom, understanding, direction, guidance, or clarity, He has promised He will not only answer but will be our Answer..
“. . . let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
To be completely honest, I must say this: While I have always known that God will show Himself faithful to me if I trusted Him with every area of my life, there have been times where I have had difficulty “drawing near to the throne of Grace.” Times, where instead of pouring out my heart to God I have just tried to “move on” and ignore certain things because I didn’t feel my prayers would make a bit of difference.
When we have experienced trials or heartache and the end result was that all of our prayers were answered in ways we did not expect, it’s easy to become disappointed and disillusioned with God. And, if we aren’t careful, those disappointments can rob us of our confidence in Him. My father has always reminded me that my ideas about God should not completely depend on my experiences–in other words, I should never judge God’s faithfulness strictly on what I have seen, heard, or felt (experienced). My ideas must be grounded in Truth and my confidence must be in the character of God: that He is good, righteous, and faithful. If I truly believe those things my faith will not be shaken, no matter what difficulties may come my way.
Here’s the main issue: Our hearts need to be completely united with God’s. We need to want what He wants in order to be completely satisfied with His answers to our prayers. If we lift our hearts to Him, trust Him with our lives (no matter what we may be facing), and cling to the promise that He is faithful, we will never be disappointed in the end. Of course we may FEEL disappointed initially, if things don’t turn out the way we expect. But ultimately, if our hope is truly in God, we will rejoice when His answers come.
“. . . And He who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” (1 Peter 2:6)
Remember: God sees the whole picture, what we may consider “unanswered” prayer may be exactly what we need.
Are you at your “wit’s end”? Do you need God to work a miracle, to give you wisdom, understanding, direction, guidance, or clarity? Run to Jesus, pour out your heart to Him, and surrender your life to Him. He WILL hear you and answer faithfully. . . in His perfect time.
“He caused the storm to be still, so that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, so He guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men!” (Psalm 107:29-31)
