This isn’t an idle question. Whatever it is that you want, or feel you need, are you ready to receive? Often, when you have asked, do you stay in His presence in order to be available to receive? Or do you give up or leave before the desire is manifested? I suspect that many of us don’t receive, not that we have asked amiss, but because we haven’t seen our answer – immediately. We want what we want when we want it, is a fair description of how we are and act.
Do you have any appreciation of just how difficult it is to stand? Stand, waiting stand, believing. Do you have the inner strength to continue in order to see your desires? Many of us do not follow the scripture that tells us in Galatians 6:9
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season
we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Granted the focus is doing good, but I believe the principle can be applied in a variety of ways… not the least of which is to see the evidence of our prayer requests. Again an application (James 5;16):
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
That’s the point. Effective and fervent. Now all we have to do is to know these definitions from the Lord’s point of view. The book of James has many lessons to teach us in this respect. Submit to God, resist the devil, draw near to God, purify your heart, humble yourself in the sight of the Lord (James 4:7-10) are only a few of the methods James discusses.
I believe that our readiness to receive is also a method because if we aren’t ready we probably won’t see what it is we are seeking. I believe we have to place ourselves in a position to receive but it is in the Lord’s timing and not ours. Regardless of how difficult it may be to wait and stand, Habakkuk 2:3, Psalm 75:2, Isaiah 49:8, Mark 1:15, 2 Corinthians 1:20, 2 Peter 3:9 are only a few of the scriptures that tells of the need to wait on the Lord. Mark 13:33 confirms this belief:
“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”
