IF You Do Not Lose Heart

"I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps." Psalm 40:1-2 Though we may be in "a horrible pit," the Lord will not leave us there. He WILL bring us out and set our feet upon THE ROCK. Patience is one of the most important factors in prayer -- and one of the most difficult. Sometimes it seems the Lord is not listening. It may be though, that he is testing one's heart to see how long one will remain faithful even when not seemingly getting results. Does the lack of apparent results suggest that what we are asking isn't God's will? NO. It means God is working something out and it requires time. The answer will come in the right time, IF you do not lose heart. "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap IF WE DO NOT LOSE HEART." Galatians 6:9 When the Israelites were in the wilderness, the Lord called Moses to come up on the mountain to receive God's Word. Moses told the people to wait for him to return and he ascended the mount. But he was gone a long time and the people got tired of waiting, and they got into grievous sin which brought terrible judgment upon them. Because they refused to wait. It is amazing how many stories in the Bible required men to wait. God promised Abraham a son through his wife Sarah, but the wait was so long that they took matters into their own hands and Abraham brought forth a son he named Ishmael through Sarah's maid - a sin whose results wreak havoc to this day, for Ishmael is the father of the Arabs. The results of not waiting on the Lord can have long-term disastrous results. Patience and maintaining faith are virtues the Lord values highly. Every believer will be in the position of having to wait after a promise is given. His patience is tried. His faithfulness is tried. But when the answer comes, it will be far greater than what the believer asked for. "Now to him who is able to do EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL THE WE ASK OR THINK..." Ephesians 3:20 Wait and do not waiver. Do not get tired of praying but continue for as long as it takes. Do not be tempted to give up. Do not be tempted to think God doesn't care. He may be creating a story behind the scenes that you know nothing about. Wait on him. The time may seem long, but the answer will surely come and that will lead to far greater rejoicing than you expected. "Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." Psalm 126:5-6