Now of this one thing you are not to be oblivious, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.
Peter To The Dispersion (3): 8, Concordant New Testament
Some memories do not fade well over time. I still recall my mothers final days before her passing. How I would spend hours at the hospital with her. I also still recall the prayers I offered to the Lord during that time, that He would take mercy upon my mother and heal her from her illness and pain. So it was that when I received the call that night that she had passed away I began to associate God with my pain and suffering. After all, it was God who had refused to honor my prayers and restore health to my mother, a devout believer in her own right. It was God who opened that door to the pain and grief which followed upon her death. This is also the ONLY time in my life that I can recall being angry with God. Why had He taken my mother? Why, after telling me that He honors the prayers of the faithful, had He seemingly ignored my prayers to heal my mom? Yet, it was within those prayers which I offered that I finally began to see that the Father had indeed answered my prayer, although not in the way my earthly mindset expected. As the pain and grief over the loss of my mom began to ease, I realized the love and mercy in which the Father had answered not only my prayer, but those of my mother as well. See, before her passing, my mom had been in pain almost daily. For many of the final years of her life, she endured this while in her own way assuring me to trust in the Lord. This was who she was. It took me a few years, but I began to realize that with her passing from this dimension into the next, that God had indeed removed my mothers pain from her in His own way. I no longer had to worry that she would be suffering. In fact, God had opened my eyes to the wonderful work which He had done in her. Of course, the work He had done in my mother was nothing compared to the work which He continues to do in me. All too often, when we face difficult circumstances we are blinded by the eyes of this world. We expect to see the Father working in ways which we ourselves can see. Yet, as His word tells us, His ways are NOT our ways {Isaiah 55: 8-9}. I prayed that God would take away my moms pain, and that He did. Of course, it didn't happen in the way I expected it to. Nevertheless, it was the Father who had His loving hands on my mother the whole time.
Now we are aware that God is working all together for the good of those who are loving God, who are called according to the purpose.
Paul To The Romans 8: 28, Concordant New Testament
In recent weeks I have been faced with more opportunities to revisit my own thoughts on prayer and the Father. Once again, my eyes were blinded to the works He was accomplishing behind the scenes. There is much we can learn from the words of Isaiah when he spoke of waiting on the Lord {Isaiah 40:31}. Waiting on the Lord means that we are assured that He not only hears our prayers, but that in His own way He is interceding on our behalf. Of all the processes of prayer...the waiting is the most difficult part. I've come to learn that during this time, my prayers often vary between my requests and asking the Father what He is doing through me. God is never distant nor do we share a impersonal relationship with Him. As His creation, He is a intimate part of who we are. The apostle Paul speaks to this reality in Galatians when he speaks of the indwelling Christ {Paul To The Galatians 2:20}. In our times of trouble and need, we can absolutely come to the Father and ask what He is doing in our lives. If we are confused over our prayers, we can absolutely come to the Father seeking clarification. How wonderful it is to live our life in Him! Of course, knowing this will give us an entirely new perspective on prayer. We do not have a Father who is distant from our lives. God is all in all, and we are one with He and Christ.
~Scott~
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