For families with a loved one in the military, waiting is at the top of the skill-set list requirement. We are always waiting for something:
- Our loved one to come home from deployment.
- Our loved one to leave on deployment.
- A promotion.
- A change of duty station.
- The next conflict requiring troop deployment.
The list could go on and on and on.
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But there’s one thing most of us are afraid to add to the list, even though it’s ever present in our minds—unanswered prayers.
For those of us with military connections, prayer is a very real lifeline. It brings power to the powerless and peace to those who are overcome with fear.
So what do we do with those seemingly unanswered prayers just hanging around?
1) Remember that God’s timing is perfect.
He’s never late, never early, and will never abandon you or those you love. “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:3)
2) Go back to the last thing God said and start there.
So often I want to jump ahead to what I think God is going to do—especially when my prayers go unanswered. Instead, in these instances, I’ve learned to go back and stick close to His side. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
3) Do the next thing.
I’ve found that when I look at the big picture—especially if it’s filled with confusion—I get overwhelmed. The answer to this is to do the next thing, then the next, and so on. By the time I’ve done several things, the answers I’m seeking begin to appear. “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
It’s in these times that I’ve found my faith grows the most. So I hang on and trust God to be true to His promise of blessings and provision.
