Have you ever been through a season when it seemed like no matter what you prayed, God was not answering? Or at least it appeared that He was not answering? I have. I am not being negative; I am simply being honest.
I went through such a season, and it seemed no matter what I did, nothing was working, nothing was happening. I prayed. I declared the unfailing Word of God. I fasted. I took communion. I worshipped. I read the Bible. I had friends who agreed with me. I had pastors lay hands on me – still it seemed like my prayers went unanswered.
All that being said, I knew God was working even when I couldn’t see it. I had no doubt at all, I am just sharing with you how it felt. Times like those can be quite discouraging, to say the least. It is in seasons like that where many of us give up. Thankfully, God had surrounded me with people who stood with me.
Seasons like that are hard. There is no doubt about it. But those times don’t last.
There are others seasons too; one I feel prompted to talk to you about today.
There are also seasons when it seems prayers are answered quickly and completely.
I experienced a night like that when my friends parents had a car accident. Every single prayer we prayed that night was answered, and it was answered within minutes – it was an incredible faith-building night.
Today I sit here in single digit temperatures where I have once again seen every prayer I have prayed in this situation answered. As you may know, the local weather stations have been predicting snow and ice as well as freezing cold in our area for over a week. It was said that on Saturday we would have so much snow we couldn’t leave our house. We were predicted to have ice storms on Sunday and through the night. We were told to expect to lose power and that it could take days to restore. We were told trees would collapse under the weight of the ice. It did not sound fun.
I began to pray. I walked around my property and prayed over everything, the front porch, the trees, the driveway – everything I could think of. Each time a negative report came, I prayed and declared God’s word over it.
When I would walk through my home, I would thank God for power. For warmth, for water, for all my trees standing firm. When I awoke in the middle of the night and saw my ceiling fan moving, I thanked God for electricity.
Monday morning was supposed to be the worst with ice on the roads. Frankly, I expected to be stuck inside for days – but I prayed and didn’t say anything I didn’t want to see. We had rain and freezing rain so much on Sunday that I thought my yard would probably look like an ice rink the following morning. My front porch was drenched so I knew I would have to be careful walking outside the next day.
Monday morning, I awoke and walked into my living room to open my drapes. As I did, I looked outside, there was not a drop of water on my porch. The road in front of my house that is usually treacherous in bad weather was completely dry. Not one patch of ice. I was amazed.
My power stayed on. My ac unit kept my house warm and didn’t freeze during the freezing rain. My road is dry. My porch is dry. My trees are intact. Every single prayer I prayed over this ‘storm’ was answered in abundance. I am so thankful.
As I pondered all this today, one thought kept going through my mind. I believe we have entered into a season of answered prayer. I don’t really know how to explain it, but it feels there is an opening, a portal, much like Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28, where he saw angels ascending and descending between heaven and earth.
So, I want to encourage you today. If you have prayed and prayed about a situation, don’t give up. Pray again. Press in again. It could be that you are in a time of answered prayer. If so, I don’t want to miss it, do you?
In the past couple weeks, I have witnessed more answered prayer than I have seen in months. For that, I am so grateful. I believe we have stepped into a new season. May we see an answer to every single prayer, for many months to come – that is my prayer for you and for me. My friend, don’t give up. Seek God while He is near. He is coming and His reward is with Him…remember that.
