Waiting on God is no child’s play. Your mind is anxious for the future, your heart is beating fast in the present. You wonder when the wait will end. You might even wander and attempt to help God, after all, the general consensus is that heaven helps those who help themselves, right? Except that Jesus along with many others in the Bible did not help God; they simply prayed.
They persisted in the place of prayer, they waited to hear from God and then they obeyed his instructions and things worked out for them. Six men and one woman stood out in the Bible when it comes to waiting on God in prayer. Jesus is the role model, Moses, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and Hannah. They all went through different stages of waiting on God. You too can follow in their example and believe that God will answer your prayers.
How to tarry in the place of prayer
Separate yourself from the crowd
Stay away from any form of distractions. Separate yourself from the crowd for a maximum concentration before God. Jesus always withdrew from the crowd after a long hard day work. He often separated himself away from the crowd to a lonely quiet places (Luke 5:16). He told his disciples at the garden of Gethsemane, sit here while I go and pray yonder (Matthew 26:36). When a trap was set against Daniel, he went into his house and with his windows opened, he made his petition known to God (Daniel 6:10). Hannah left the celebration to be alone with God in the temple. She too separated herself from the crowd (1 Samuel 1:9).
Retrieve to a quiet place
After a very crucial meeting with his disciples, Jesus withdrew to a quiet place to pray at Gethsemane (Luke 5:16). When he taught his disciples to pray, he said go to your room and pray and your father who sees in the secret will reward you openly (Matthew 6:6). A quiet place for you can be a secluded place in a town or on top of a mountain where Jesus often went. It can be your house like Daniel did. It can be in your church like Hannah who went to Shiloh. Find a quiet place to pray.
Pray along with others
Have a Prayer partner or an accountability partner. Call it what you may but Jesus showed us the importance of having prayer partners or people to tarry along with you in the place of prayers. Jesus took three disciples with him to tarry with him as he prayed in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36). Moses took Joshua with him to the mountain where he received the ten commandments (Exodus 24:13). Daniel prayed with his friends for God to reveal the king’s dream (Daniel 2:17-18), even the disciples tarried together on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1).
Make your petition known to your prayer partners
Let your prayer partner(s) know the state of your mind – Jesus made his heart known to the three disciples who were with him. He said, my soul is exceedingly sorrowful even unto death, tarry ye here and watch with me (Matthew 26:38). Daniel gathered his friends to pray together and seek for answers from God for the king (Daniel 2:18).
Make your supplication known to God
Daniel made his supplication known to God with thanksgiving and he did this three times a day (Daniel 6:10). The Bible says, do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6). There’s no need beating about the bush, go straight to the point. Avoid vain repetition as Jesus instructed us not to be like the heathen who use vain repetition during prayer (Matthew 6:7). Make your heart known to God like Hannah, who went to Shiloh every year and prayed to God for a child. She never wavered from her desire rather she offered her sacrifice and prayer request to God until her joy was full (1 Samuel 1).
Surrender to God’s Will
God has given us a Will and he will not enforce his will on us but his will should be our ultimate aim because his Will overrides everything. God is all knowing, he knows the past, the present and the future. He has a plan for each one of his creations. Your ultimate aim should be that your life will be aligned to his will. Jesus said, Father take this cup away from me but not my will but your will be done. Jesus taught us to pray saying, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). God’s Will should be done in every areas of our lives but we must surrender to his will because when we surrender to his will, everything begins to work according to his plan and for his good purpose.
Watch and pray
Go a little further in the place of prayer. Pray intensely. Pray with the passion. Pray for your heart desires to be fulfilled. Jesus went a little further as he went to pray (Matthew 26:39). Your flesh might be weak but persist in prayer, be consistent and leave the rest to God who will answer your prayers.
If you are ever waiting on God for anything, don’t give up. Try and incorporate these stages in your prayer plan and see God move. If you ever need someone to pray with you, do not hesitate to contact us and we will be glad to pray with you.
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