A “yes” is great. I can
even handle a “no”. But, the times in life when your prayers seem
to go unanswered are the worst. It’s hard not to immediately assume
something is wrong. Maybe God is mad at me.
Maybe he doesn’t care. Maybe I’m
doing something wrong. Though it is natural to feel this
way, it is simply not true. That’s not the way he works. Even
though I know better, I am prone to feeling this way from time to
time. If you struggle with this too, here is a simple thought that
has helped me:

God is not slow, he is patient and his patience is always
mercy.

He is not slow, he is patient

I am a pretty pathetic wait-er. I want everything
yesterday. God is not like me. His timing is perfect
and his perspective is bigger than mine. Because he
is timeless and eternal his idea of time is a little different than
ours. My 35 years on this planet isn’t very impressive when viewed
against the backdrop of eternity. The fact that he cares at all
about a person who is little more than a speck on the timeline of
the world is enormously comforting if you think about it. (Psalm 8:4)

His patience is always mercy

This statement has been ringing in my ears
since I heard my pastor say it a couple weeks ago.
His patience and ultimate response to us always takes
into account what is best for us, whether we think so or
not.

He has the advantage to see all of the possible
outcomes, in every conceivable scenario, that could actually or
potentially happen. He has full knowledge, not just of what is, but
also of what is not and of what could be.

That means that everything that comes into my life (good or bad) has first
been filtered by his love for me.

If he decides to say
“no”, it was ultimately for my good. Even if his answer didn’t come
as soon as I wanted it. That’s mercy. When I’m
able to remember it, I am able to be patient as well. If this is
something you wrestle with too, I’d love to hear from you. Feel
free to use the comments below.