Even after all these years of following the Lord, I admit that prayer remains a mystery. Maybe you have it all figured out, but I confess I don’t.
There are times when I pray for something important and don’t see any results, as far as I can tell. On other occasions, my requests are more superficial, and the answer is clear, even supernatural. I sometimes pray for hours, days, or years and am still waiting for God to act. Then I pray for something once, barely a minute at that, and God’s reply comes barreling down, knocking me off my feet. What’s up with that?
I was recently reminded of an incident that happened several years ago. It was minor in the grand scheme of things, but it proved that God answers prayer in even more detail than we ask. One day, the electricity in most of the outlets in my apartment suddenly stopped working. This went on for over a week, and for various reasons, no one could help me. Not knowing where to turn, I prayed that God would send me a good electrician. In all honesty, I had a scenario in mind where the Lord would lead me to the right person, but God took my words quite literally.
The following Monday morning, there was a knock at my door. When I opened it, guess who was standing there? Yes, that’s right, an electrician! What’s more, he had all the necessary tools … and a ladder! He wanted me to unlock the door to the garbage chute, but once I recovered from my shock, I asked him to check out my problem. He did and repaired it, even going to buy the necessary part.
Some may argue it was pure coincidence, but I don’t believe that. He could have knocked on many other apartments, or I could have been out. If he hadn’t had a ladder, he wouldn’t have been able to help, since the fuse box was just below the ceiling. All the circumstances combined to provide one clear example of answered prayer.
Frankly, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to see prayer as an enigma because prayer is rooted in our relationship with God. Healthy relationships are not to be controlled or manipulated, nor are they entirely predictable. If I understood everything there is to know about prayer, I would understand everything about the Lord. But how can a human mind fully comprehend the divine?
The many encouragements in the Bible to pray and not give up clearly show that God recognizes our confusion and doubt on the matter. It’s okay not to have it all figured out. But as the Apostle Paul writes, let’s pray in all circumstances, assured that God hears us, and let’s never give up.
Picture: Carol Schlorff