Worth The Wait

I have been married for over twenty one years, and a mommy for over seventeen of those years. In the beginning when my babies were young, my prayers were few and far between, because of my own baby faith. But when God grabbed hold of my heart and my life around eleven years ago, my prayers have never ceased.

Yet despite my persistence, there have been countless times when I wondered if God was really hearing my prayers, as we are told in Psalm 15:29 . Because if He did in deed hear my prayers,  why were they not being answered? Why could I not see Him answering my deepest longings?  

I promised God that I would be grateful for His intervention, and I believed that eventually, in His time, that He would answer. Yet,  I felt frustrated with the wait. Frankly, really tired of waiting. I wanted to see the fruits of my prayers so that my fears could lessen and my faith could grow.

I was frustrated with the planting…. and tired of waiting on the harvest.

You see, above all prayers, I have prayed for my children’s salvation. The three of them each accepted Christ as a young age, but I wanted them to not only believe, but to desire to live as a believer. My two daughters are currently ages 15 and 17, and as I have become more acutely aware of the problems and the pressures and brokenness of the world that they are growing up in, I have felt desperate for God to move in their hearts – and quickly. I wanted God to get hold of them, before the world did.

So I have prayed the same, simple prayer for as long as I can remember, “Lord, draw my children close to You. Become real to them. Intervene in their lives. Help them see and understand that You are not just a story in a book, but a Savior in a life. Help them have a passion spark inside of them, for You. Help them want to know You.”

Over the past year, we have had our share of parenting “challenges”, you might say.  The life of a teenager is not easy, which makes the life of a parent of a teenager even harder. Each time a new “challenge” would present itself, and more disappointment and frustration would set in, I would ask for God’s wisdom in dealing with the situation at hand, and then gently remind  Him that He had still not answered my prayers. As if He forgot? I am sure He found that comical.

But God had a plan. I just had to wait on Him to move. And when He decided to move, He moved big.

Kaitlyn went on a worship trip to Florida with our youth group this summer, and she came home on fire for God.  They had experienced amazing, powerful worship, with Chris Tomlin as the praise band and Louie Giglio as the speaker, and thousands of kids from around the country shouting out their faith . They had witnessed God’s presence, and felt Him in fresh and life altering ways.

I was in awe. I was in tears.  God had moved. In His time. In His way.

Morgan did not go on that mission trip, because none of her friends were going. I have to admit, once Kaitlyn came home and shared the life changing experience she encountered, I felt incredible guilt for not forcing her to go too.  My heart broke that she had missed out on what went on there. Although she was  planning to attend a mission trip the following week, I was convinced that without the big bands, eloquent  speakers, flashing lights and loud excitement, that she could not encounter God as powerfully. 

But on the mission trip, as she slowly built relationships with the families whose houses she was helping to repair, she encountered God. And at the end of the week, Morgan had the opportunity to lead a little boy to Christ, and she grabbed that opportunity.  In the heat of a hot July day, in a poor section of town, in a yard filled with rubble, and in front of a house that nobody would notice as they drove by, she was used as a vessel to change the eternal life of one little boy. She called me that night in tears to tell me of her experience.

I was in awe. I was in tears. God had moved. In His time. In His way.

Last weekend, both of my daughters rededicated their lives to Christ, and as a profession faith, were publicly baptized again during our Sunday worship service.

I was in awe. I was in tears. God had moved. In His time. In His way.

All these years of praying, all the nights of worry, and all the time spent on my knees – were worth the wait.  As I look back, I can see that God had not been sitting idly waiting for the right time to move – instead – He was fertilizing the harvest of my prayers in my children’s hearts. And in Him, they will blossom.

I am not naive enough to think that parenting challenges will completely cease or that perfect children will emerge from our household, but I know one thing for sure – God hears our prayers.

And He answers. In His time. In His ways. Ways that are best. Ways that we cannot even imagine. Ways that we could not even dream up oursevels. Ways that will leave us in tears, and in awe.

Maybe today you are tired of waiting for God to answer your prayers. Whether they be about parenting, marraige, finances, freedom from addictions, oegardless of what we are praying for, if we trust in God’s timing, it will always be worth the wait.

2 Comments

  1. Kim on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at 8:38 am

    This is inspiring to me. You see I have grown up in a Christian home, and asked Jesus into my heart many times when I was younger. I guess at 4 then again around 6 or 7. Now I am 22 and I have been doubting my salvation, but I think God is working? He can help me! 🙂



    • Kim on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at 8:41 am

      I think when I was 6 or 7 it was the last time I asked him into my heart until I was around 13 years old, then I started to doubt my salvation. And from then on I have struggled, it seems. (I don’t know if I had an understanding about being a Christian when I was young that I seem to understand better now)



Headshot Flipped 2

Tracie Miles is a bestselling author and the Director of COMPEL Training with Proverbs 31 Ministries.  She helps women grow stronger in their faith, pursue the life of purpose God designed them for and live a life of peace, joy and happiness despite their circumstances.

Living-Unbroken-3DwithShadow

Available Now!

Subscribe to Tracie’s Blog

Receive the Living Unbroken Battle Plan Workbook for free if you subscribe to Tracie’s blog today!
Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

Tracie's Books