Waiting for an answer

“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24 NIV

How frustrating it is to be waiting for an answer. Depending on your circumstances the frustration level will vary. Waiting for the results of a medical procedure will increase your anxiety. A slow response from a potential employer will overshadow other job opportunities to be explored. Anticipation builds as you wait to receive your final grades towards your goal of graduation from a major university. Wouldn’t it be nice to receive our answers in a timely manner, better yet, to have them beforehand? Before we schedule that medical test, before we take that final exam, or before we apply for that position. Well, it is possible when we bring our requests before the Lord.

There are several passages in Scripture concerning God’s hearing and answering prayers. Isaiah writes that the Lord says, “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” (Is.65:24 niv) God is saying before we even ask Him in prayer, the answer is already on the way. As Jesus taught His disciples to pray, he told them, “….  for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Mt.6:8 niv) Before the thought of what we need to ask for comes to our mind, the Lord is already aware. David writes in Psalm 139, “You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.” (Ps.139:4 nlt) God knows everything we think and are going to say before we say it, especially in prayer. The Lord heard and answered King Hezekiah’s prayer as he was told he was about to die. “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.’” (Is.38:5 niv) Hezekiah did not need to wait very long for an answer. It came rather quickly.

Now there may be times when the answers to our prayers do not come immediately. But that is not an indication that God did not hear or did not answer. One of God’s answers to us is not one we like to hear, but He did answer. The answer is ‘wait.’ We can be confident that God hears and answers our prayers. Yes, sometimes we need to wait for the answer to arrive, but the Lord has already answered that prayer before we even called on Him.