Even when the prayer isn't answered immediately, always stay in expectation
This article is republished from Dianna Hobbs’ “Your Daily Cup of Inspiration,” one of the Top 100 blogs for women of faith. To get more inspiration like this, visit YourDailyCupOfInspiration.com.
I remember the feeling I had the very first time I went to the psychiatry unit at a local hospital to visit someone who had tried to end their life. I was supervised by security and was required to submit ID, lock away all my personal items, and submit to a general search before being allowed to enter the secure area where patients were housed.
Once I got behind the locked steel door of the cold, sterile ward that looked more like a prison than a hospital, I walked down the long hallway and waited alone. Being that it was my first time in a situation like this, I sat there, feeling nervous, helpless and inept. I wondered, will this person even want to see me? What will I say?
Once they showed up and smiled, my nervousness lessened. We sat together at a stainless steel table as I listened to them and prayed internally. I asked God to help me be a good support system during that low moment in their life. Before leaving, I asked for permission to pray with them, which they granted. Today, by the grace of God, that person is thriving. God shined His divine light into the darkness and shifted things.
I am older now and have way more ministry experience, and I don’t get rattled as easily. But that situation showed me early on, in any circumstance, prayer is necessary, vital, and effective. It has power to shift seasons.
James 5:17–18 says, “Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.”
In Luke 4:25, Jesus also references Elijah the prophet who endured the aforementioned period of severe drought and famine in Israel. In the midst of it, Elijah prayed with faith and expectation—even though the rainfall didn’t happen immediately following his prayer according to 1 Kings 18:41-45.
Still, after earnestly seeking God to shift the season in Israel, Scripture says Elijah stayed in expectation. He sent his servant to check for rain seven times before the heavens opened up and watered the earth. Despite the delay, Elijah never doubted the power of fervent prayer or the faithfulness of God. He never quit anticipating change, nor should you.
““True faith doesn’t rely on tangible evidence; it relies on confidence in God’s faithfulness to perform His word.” ”
Friend, expect God to respond and shift your season. Believe Him no matter what. When you don’t see any sign of God opening the windows of heaven and raining down blessings, keep hope and expectation alive. True faith doesn’t rely on tangible evidence; it relies on confidence in God’s faithfulness to perform His word.
In dark seasons, God is faithful. In dry seasons, He is faithful. In seasons of lack, He is faithful. In seasons of sickness, He is faithful. In seasons of hardship of any sort—even when they last years—He is faithful. And God will hear your earnest cries and pull you out of the depths of despair.
In my early days of ministry, on numerous occasions, I stepped into a hospital to visit someone else. In more recent times, I have been the one in the hospital needing God to visit me. And I have seen with my own eyes that God makes hospital visits and shows up in the valley. When I was too weak to lift myself, He lifted me up. He rewarded my faith, and that’s why I’m telling you to stay in expectation—always.
When you call on the name of Jesus and believe, He will show up and deliver you!
To remind you of this truth, I’m stirring Psalm 118:5 NLT into your cup of inspiration, which says, “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered and set me free.”
As you drink down the contents of your cup, believe that you are stepping into a new season of wholeness, deliverance and breakthrough. Believe that God has heard your fervent, faith-filled prayers. Stay in expectation, and you will see Him open heaven and pour out blessings you won’t have enough room to receive.
Now, let’s pray.
God, even when I don’t see results right away, I know that You honor faith, and You hear my prayers. Thank You for confirming that You are shifting my season as I anticipate the manifestation of Your great power in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
