Between the Asking and the Answer
When I was younger, I was taught that God answers prayer in three ways: yes, no, or wait. It sounded simple then. Almost tidy.
We even sang the words of Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” I still hear that melody when my faith feels thin or when I am desperate for direction.
Ask. Seek. Knock.
But no one explained what it feels like when the answer is wait.
As I have grown, I have realized that believing God can answer and trusting how He answers are not the same thing. I do not question His power. I wrestle with His timing.
In Isaiah 55:8–9, God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways… As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Those words comfort and confront me at the same time. God sees what I cannot. I do not control the outcome.
When Jesus tells us to believe we have received what we ask for, He is not inviting us to manipulate heaven. He is inviting us to trust the Father’s heart. Belief is confidence in who God is. Waiting is trust in what God is doing.
Yes builds gratitude. No builds surrender. Wait builds endurance. All three grow faith.
Silence is not absence. Delay is not rejection. Sometimes the clearest evidence of faith is not in the asking, but in the staying steady when the timeline stretches longer than I planned.
Ask anyway. Believe anyway. Wait without assuming the worst.
He still hears you.
Reflection
Where am I trying to control the outcome instead of trusting God with it?
Am I willing to accept His answer, even if it differs from my request?
What would steady obedience look like for me while I wait?
Prayer
God, You know what I need and what I fear. I am asking You to provide, guide, and open the right doors. If the answer is wait, steady my heart so I do not drift into doubt or panic. Teach me to trust Your timing without losing my willingness to ask. I place the outcome in Your hands and ask for grace to remain faithful until You move. Amen.