A prayer to wait on God without losing faith by Lori Freeland.

Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart,

Psalm 34-7.

Have you ever prayed and prayed and prayed for God to move

to change a situation to please help and nothing happens.

I have. Sometimes it's hard to understand God's perspective. He sees our lives differently than we do. In general, we're fast food, soft

unsuffering, high on anxiety, society. We want what we want now and we want to avoid discomfort.

We take on worries we don't need.

Our relationship with him is intensely personal.

He's our father, and parenting is intensely personal.

For those of you who have a child, this makes complete sense.

We see beyond what our kids think they need in the moment.

We have a bigger view of their lives. We think ahead

and plan accordingly. So does God. Often when our faith is shaken, it's because we're looking

at a 12-inch. He knows what we need.

He knows how he wants to grow our character. And like any parent of multiple children, what he allows for you

might not be the same as what he allows for me. What he gives us won't look the same.

Neither will the timing of our answers when we pray, or the way our

faith is stretched and blessed. So how do we deal? Here's what helps me. When I'm frustrated that I'm not hearing from God, I ask myself if my

petition is a want or a need. When I'm in panic mode, I step back and focus on whether what's happening is really a crisis or just a major inconvenience

When my petitions don't get results I ask God if I'm rushing after what he doesn't want me to have, or if I'm longing for what he wants to give.

When I'm drained and exhausted and tired of waiting, I remember the timing isn't a choice.

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