Answer Envy

Karen Ehman

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

Devotion:

Do you ever envy God's answers to someone else's prayers?

I remember almost choking on the words, "I am so happy for you!" in response to the breaking news that friends of ours from North Carolina had sold their house after it had been on the market for twenty days.

To them it had been a long twenty days. Houses were normally snatched up quickly in their area. In our shaky Michigan economy, however, it takes a bit longer. In fact, on the day she announced that her home now had a "sold" sign in the front yard, we turned another page on our calendar — marking how long our house had been for sale. Not twenty days, but twenty months to be exact.

Although I was genuinely thrilled for my friend, I was also a tad green with jealousy.

The New York Times

Lysa TerKeurst

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

Devotion:

Have you ever wondered if the dreams tucked in your heart will ever come to be?

Me too.

I still remember sitting on my bed as a young girl and staring down at an old typewriter my dad brought home. I was fascinated with the way the keys struck the paper. I started to string together words — sentences — paragraphs. I whispered, "Maybe one day a whole book."

But the whisper got buried in a tangle of other things.

All the while the Lord had a plan. A hope. A future. If only I would seek Him, I would find Him, if I would seek Him with all my heart. Not just my Sunday heart. Not just my quiet time heart. But, seek Him in it all.

Waiting for God’s Answer

Written by Chris Bradley

Take today’s next step: We need more authors for men’s devos. What has God taught you lately?

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40: 31)

One of the hardest things that Christians have to do is to wait on the Lord. Our patience runs thin and this often gets us into trouble making us do irrational things ahead of God’s direction.

But God’s time is different from ours. Although it’s hard to keep in focus, just be reminded that God has many plans for you. It is important to learn to stay still and wait for Him. He has promised to provide everything you need in due time.

On certain occasions, He might say, “No”. But just because He closes a door on something you’ve been praying about for a long time, it doesn’t mean He doesn’t care. He always has your best interest in mind and will give you something much better than you imagined.