I have found that the longer I walk with God, the more I know Him. I get to know His character and faithfulness through His Word, through my prayer life and by witnessing what He has done for me and others who follow Christ. My prayer is that He would open the eyes of my heart so I can see and feel His presence in every area of my life. I find that I can see God’s works clearly in the rear view mirror, but maybe not so much in my present circumstances. Especially when I’m going through a trial. I know He is always there guiding and protecting me, but sometimes my head knowledge takes control of my heart knowledge and I have doubts.
A couple of years ago, while preparing to go to Panama, I experienced a terrible tooth ache. At first, my tooth was very sensitive to heat and cold, followed by constant excruciating pain that lasted for several weeks. The smart thing to do would have been to go to the dentist. But my rationale was that I just didn’t have time. I prayed straight from my heart, “Lord, You are my Creator, You know how I am made and I know that You know how to fix my tooth, a small task for You. I ask that You would heal my tooth. In Jesus name I pray.” Instantly the pain was gone and I haven’t had any pain since.
Now you may ask, “What’s the problem?” The problem is I find myself wondering, “Did God really do that?” My hearts says, “Yes, He did!” Luke 1:37 says, “for with God nothing will be impossible.” Then my head takes over and says, “That’s impossible! Only a dentist can fix a tooth.” It astounds me that I can believe in the virgin birth, and that Jesus was raised from the dead after 3 days, but it’s difficult for me to believe that God would heal my tooth supernaturally.
So often, God answers prayers in miraculous ways. Yet, we either miss the miracle or don’t believe that God will answer our requests. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”(Matthew 17:20)
Prayer is often the deciding factor in spiritual warfare. When the God of the universe is helping us, there is nothing that can’t be overcome. God doesn’t always answer prayers right away. Sometimes we have to be persistent. Like Daniel’s experience, we may have to wait. This doesn’t mean God doesn’t hear our prayer, but we must remember, God’s timing is always perfect. He loves us and He knows what’s best for us. He is a good, good Father!
