Sometimes, we feel God moves at a snail’s pace.
We pray a prayer. Get up, shower, and go about our day. We go to bed and get up the next day and pray for the same issue.
Our God is not bound by time. He works from an eternal perspective while our thoughts and actions have been conditioned around time.
Peter wrote, “Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8 BSB).
When we submit our lives to God, our Father, through Jesus Christ, He begins the process to make us into a new creation. We are a continual work in progress until the day Christ returns, or we go home to Him.
As children of the Lord, we do not receive a download of spiritual maturity at the moment we decided to receive Jesus as Lord. Maturity comes incrementally, in stages, like a child grows into maturity.
Would you want your toddler moving off to live on his own? Of course not! That’s absurd!
When we lift up our petitions to the Lord, He begins to order our lives to place us in position to receive His answer.
As mother of an incarcerated son, I’ve prayed for years for the Lord to open the prison doors for my son. I hoped it would have been at the trial. But that’s not when it happened. I hoped it would have come with an appeal. But it didn’t happen then either. We’re still waiting at God’s speed.
One day while praying, I imagined a scene where I sat in prayer in a large auditorium. There were a few others seated around in that large space. I believe those are other intercessors who are praying for my son.
Looking toward the stage, the curtain was down so I could not see anything on the stage. But I could hear activity going on behind the curtain. I could hear talking but couldn’t understand what was being said. I could hear heavy objects being scooted across the floor. And clanging of metal objects like hammering.
As I sat there and prayed staring at the curtain in front of me, I felt a strong sense that the Lord is orchestrating the circumstances and events behind the scenes of our lives to prepare all of us for my son’s release from prison.
I don’t know how long this preparation will take before the stage is ready for the curtain to be lifted. However, I’ve found it is best to leave that in the hands of God. I now trust He is ordering the circumstances and when it comes to pass, it will all be for His glory.
Scriptures encourage us that our incarcerated loved ones have a future in the Lord. God restores what society would deem the “worst of the worst” of criminals.
The Bible says that King Manasseh was the worst king in Israel’s history. In today’s terms, he would be known as a terrorist. He was wicked evil! Second Kings 21:16 says he, “shed very much blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another” (ESV).
God spoke to Manasseh, but he would not listen. Then God allowed King Manasseh to be taken captive. While in captivity and in affliction, Manasseh cried out to God, humbled himself, and prayed to the Lord. The Lord received Manasseh’s prayers, released him from captivity, and let him return to continue reigning as king over Israel!
All this is recorded in the span of four verses in 2 Chronicles 33:10-13. Yes, God listens to our humble prayers. He releases His people from captivity. And He restores the lives of His children. So we have hope for our loved ones futures.
However, it doesn’t happen in the time span it takes us to read four verses. It most likely doesn’t happen in a day. Or a week. Or a month. For some, it has come to pass in about a year or two. For others, it has been many years already. And still counting.
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 BSB).
God works at His speed to order circumstances and make preparations. Let’s trust the speed of God.
