Last week Pastor Phillip shared a powerful message and explained how the Holy Spirit can break through in a moment. And He does!
But what about when you ask and it doesn’t seem that you receive that answer in the moment you need. Truth is the bible, far from providing pat answers, is full of explanation that God will work in a multitude of ways in the issues we face in life. My experience is that on the whole, he tends to take the long approach, working in us through our suffering or calling us to slowly develop perseverance, rather than the instantaneous.
In a quote that I have always appreciated, Tim Keller says, “God always answers your prayers in precisely the way you want them to be answered if you knew everything He knew.”
What is clear in scripture is we should ask for the Holy Spirit. Luke 11:13 “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Now, it is up to the Holy Spirit as to what and how He will act. He may say ‘no’. He may say ‘wait’. He may say a resounding, ‘Yes!’ What I know is I would rather go to the Holy Spirit, ask for his presence in my life, humbly present my requests and receive a ‘no’ or a ‘wait’ than sulking in the corner because I don’t understand His answers. Better to be in His presence, no matter how He answers our prayer.
Carl Mutzelburg 