Do you ever feel like God doesn’t hear your prayers? If we’re honest, I think most of us have at some time in our lives.
My head knows He hears, because He promises that He does (Psalm 34:17, 116:1, Proverbs 15:29). But there are days when my heart struggles to believe.
That’s why I found the book of Habakkuk so encouraging! It’s a short book, only 3 chapters, but it’s all about a conversation between Habakkuk and God.
Verse 2:1 really stood out – and convicted – me. “I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how He will answer my complaint.”
Habakkuk had poured his heart out to God, complaining about injustice and concerned about the threats his nation was facing. Then, after his prayer, we see his actions. He doesn’t shrug his shoulders and hope that something will happen. He doesn’t go off and try to fix the problems himself. He doesn’t throw his hands in the air and grumble about time wasted in prayer.
Not even close. He confidently waited for God to respond.
See, Habakkuk knew God would reply. It wasn’t a question in his mind. He climbed up on a watchtower – a place where lookouts were stationed to watch for incoming messengers or invading armies – and watched for God’s response.
In addition, he stood guard at his post. He didn’t abandon the previous instructions the Lord had given him, nor did he ignore the calling placed upon his life. Yet he went about his activities with an awareness and expectation that God would respond.
I don’t know about you, but too often I pray for something, then quickly move on with little expectation that God’s going to reply. Do I believe He hears my prayer? Absolutely. But do I live with the expectation that a response will come in His perfect timing? Not often.
God’s answer may not always be what we want to hear, which may make us miss His response. What if we, like Habakkuk, lived our lives expecting God to show up? What if we lived with the knowledge that He hears us, that He cares, and that He will respond when we pray?
Candle Sutton 
Love your messages. Debbie Payne
LikeLike
Thanks Debbie! God bless you!
LikeLike