Expecting God

“Thus says the LORD, ‘I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will…’” 2 Kings 20:5

At first glance, I find it interesting that just one chapter over we find God reassuring King Hezekiah again with the words, ‘Surely I will.’ God has proven over and over that He is faithful by delivering the king from the attacks of Sennacherib.  The king has seen miracle after miracle when dealing with his enemies.  But when Hezekiah was struck on a personal level, his health, his prayers shifted to a self-focus plea.  You would think that he would look at all the ways God had saved the king’s people and applied that same faith to his own circumstances.  But instead, his prayers were desperate…his prayers focused on what he had done for God instead of what God had done for him. 

But then I pause and remember times when doubt was easier to default to than confidence in God.  We see Him answer the prayers of others and we secretly wonder why our prayers are going unanswered.  ‘It is easy to believe God when everything goes according to our plans.  But what about when we assume we know what a good God would do and He doesn’t do it our way?  That’s when things can start to get a bit complicated.  It’s the place where doubts are formed and disappointment grows.  The place where we can be tempted to distance ourselves from God with a heart of distrust.  Will God really be who He says He is?’ Trustworthy, Lysa TerKeurst, p. 144.

Whether our prayers are self-focused, or God-focused He hears them all.   Whether our tears are the result of things we’ve done, or the results of things done to us, He sees every drop.  No ounce of pain goes wasted in God’s eyes as He uses every bit of heartache to orchestrate His best plan for us and to grow our faith.  We must shift from a self-centered mindset to a faith-centered mindset understanding that God is working for us and with us in all situations.  A faith-centered mindset helps us to focus on the magnitude and goodness of God.  Just because we cannot see Him working doesn’t mean that He is not.  Waiting expectantly on God is one of the most faithful acts of worship.  Waiting says that we trust Him, that we don’t need to wring our hands in worry and anxiety.  It says we are expecting big things from Him in our circumstances.  When it is time for Him to show us His movement, He will.  ‘The very essence of true faith is believing in what we cannot see.’ P. 149.