Having faith is so important in our journey. When we ask God for anything, one of the criteria is that we have to do so and believe that we will receive what we ask for. Of course, sometimes what we want may not be right for us and it doesn’t happen; but there again, faith should help us to accept this and not think that God has not answered: he has answered but not in the way that we wanted.
I have often been surprised at how many times God has answered me. It isn’t always easy to see this in the present, but with hindsight. He does things in his own time and at the best time for us. We are more impatient than God and feel we want an answer straight away. That is not how he does things. It isn’t easy to wait especially if our need is pressing: it could be about health, finance and other issues we are worried about.
An example is when I became a widow I had a lot of property to look after. My mother had gone into a nursing home and so had my father-in-law. I had to sort out what was in the properties and get them ready for sale or rental. My own home needed a lot of sorting out as well as there were damp issues and taking in a lot of items from other houses over time had cluttered it so much that some rooms couldn’t be used. Our property in France was also needing a lot of tlc. I felt completely overwhelmed and alone.
I asked God for help with sorting everything out and what happened was miraculous. It didn’t happen overnight but one by one people stepped in and offered their help. Some people from church came and helped me sort out my house and they also helped me find a builder to deal with the issues at my father-in-law’s property. Builders bought the house next door in France and my neighbours who speak fluent french helped with organising the things that needed doing on that house and came and spent a week with me when we worked really hard to get it liveable in and also up to rental standard to help with finances. I am so grateful to God for helping me with all of this at such a difficult time. It all took a couple of years to sort out, but he didn’t leave me alone in all that I was going through.
There have been so many instances where God has helped, sometimes in very serious issues and at other times with small requests. It is important to look back to see these to help build your faith in times of darkness and feeling isolated. God answers immediately but also sometimes over a long time. You can see these answers as coincidences if you are not looking in faith. He is usually subtle in the way he helps and it is very easy to believe that what happens would have happened anyway.
God bless you and do place your trust in God, he is always listening.
Matthew 21:22
And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
Widows Mote 