Are your prayers like the water flowing through the Grand Canyon?
The canyon formed from the Colorado River carrying away dirt and exposing the canyon walls to further erosion from wind and rain.
There, I summed up one of the world’s great wonders in one sentence.
Forming the canyon is an ongoing process that’s happened over centuries.
Prayer in many ways is similar, especially praying for people in seemingly immovable situations.
Being patient and continuing to pray is key even when nothing seems to happen.
Were prayers answered for my family?
We had one daily crisis after another as our kids were growing up, moving through their teens and heading into their adult years. We would pray. Others would pray.
Prayer didn’t seem to change the chaos we lived through.
The front door got busted and once in a while sheriff’s deputies showed up to settle arguments.
There were also lots of fun times, too, like packing everyone into my father-in-law’s RV and heading to places like Lake Isabella and driving up a narrow, winding road above the Kern River with the kids nearly yelling that I was going to drive over the edge.
I prayed then.
Friends prayed for us but we never (rarely?) saw instant change.
A maturing process was taking place just like the Colorado River and other forces shaped the Grand Canyon.
What if our prayers aren’t answered right away or not at all? Is it worth doing?
To not pray is, in a sense, to give up.
Prayer is a process with results that occur over time. Our kids today have changed from what they were like and have serious pursuits. Prayers for them touch on different aspects of their lives.
To continue praying without seeing results requires a faith that perseveres and believes despite the odds.
Long-term processes are biblical.
In the Bible, we see God’s plans carried out over thousands of years. From Abraham to the birth of Christ was about 2,000 years.
Israel was enslaved in Egypt for 400 years even though God heard their cries.
It’s believed that Isaiah’s prophecies were 700 years before Christ’s birth.
Of course, prayers can be answered in a snap but prayer is also a process where the lives of those we’re praying for are shaped in God’s time and not our time.
Does God play a major factor in your life?
Need encouragement and want an in-depth look at people who have a close relationship with Christ?
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