..with a Yes, a No, or a Wait.
If he says No or Wait.. does He have something better for you?
After prayer (say a desperate cry to our strong, kind, dependable God who hears, feels and clearly sees) there is sometimes a waiting period, but there is a perfect time for our loving God to act. He saw, he heard, he knew - always does (see the verses below).
Let's all pray and consistently live red hot on-fire for Christ.Jesus's life was one led from one place of prayer to the next and what kept happened in between? Teaching, caring, hearing, feeding, and miracles did.
"The more you study the life of Jesus, the more you will be impressed with His absolute, genuine love for people." ~ Chuck Swindoll
Q: Is your prayer life like a thermostat or a thermometer? (I've got some points and a quote from Hance Dilbeck. The men visited with Him this morning in Plano).
"We all are desperate really. If you're not desperate for God then you are deluded." ~ Hance Dilbeck
The Israelites had really suffered (Gen. 15:13,14) and become desperate in their need. God was mercifully giving that king room for course-corection in repentance, while the Lord was hating their bondage in grievous hard forced labor.
Exodus 2:23 - "Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God.
24 God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
25 He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act."
Into Egpyt went the Jews for a time. Not to remain there forever no no. They survived the famine as God gave them food there, but circumstances changed, got bad, so they prayed and God led them out. God wants to lead you by His Holy Spirit living within you. God the Father wants Jesus to be Lord of all..and He can be today! Come to Him on His terms.
It's a relational thang bro! Prayer is God's appointed way to give His children all the things we need. Yes, we all should pray because prayer is God's appointed way for us to obtain the things we now or later will need. That is not the only reason we pray though. We should pray because prayer is God's appointed way of obtaining things.. even for others in need. We all need this close righteous relationship with Jesus the most, and then need some stuff to go serve Him well. Some need His healing, restoration, comfort, or say deliverance from a certain bad habit -- so we earnestly pray to Him for what we need..for what our loved ones need. We believers want Him most! We want Him more than all His blessings put together. He is our best Blessing and we want others to have God's best blessing too. We were blessed to be a blessing for them. Most of all we long to know Him well.. to walk with, to talk with, and to be used of Him. We want to see others used of Him so we pray for them. We want God to daily make us a blessing for others. We want to bring others Home with us one day, and only He can save people. You and I can't do that. Contrary to popular TV preaching.. God will allow some hardships, some tragedies, some challenges, some sufferings, some needs to come our way.. so that he can reveal himself and His will to us. So that he can meet our needs. It's cuz he wants us blessed and wants to make us a blessing for others. Talk about JOY! Never forget that. When God blesses you He has some other people in mind as well. That's what His Great Commission and the top two greatest Commandments are all about! We worship before we work--it's always to come before. He loves when we take time away in His word to listen to Him, to take heed to Him, to pray to Him, and to simply be with Him.
Bernard of Clairvaux said, There are those who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge; that is Curiosity. There are those who seek knowledge to be known by others; that is Vanity. There are those who seek knowledge in order to serve; that is Love. Deep calls to deep!
Remember.. before the Exodus from Egypt led by Moses, there was a time of waiting with preparation.
Moses had received a splendid education (see Acts 7:22), but he was lacking in biblical faith. He fought the wrong enemy at the wrong time with the wrong weapon.
Man, when you start to look around and ask yourself "Is it safe?" and not "Is it right?" you are not praying and have stopped living by faith. When you do pray remember...
Sometimes God has to "set us aside" (like he did with his leader Mo) to teach us what we need to know and to help us learn to pray effectively. It teaches us to forget the ways the world does things. Moses' impulsive deed sent him to the back side of the desert for forty years, just as his impulsive words would keep him out of the Promised Land (Num. 20:9-13). An impatient spirit is a dangerous thing, but a person praying biblically will be used mightily.
After praying—you know with our desperate cry to a strong, kind, and ever-faithful God—there is often a waiting period. Yet, in His perfect wisdom, God never delays; He moves precisely when the time is right. He sees, He hears, and He knows—always. He passes up a lot of opportunities to be early but he's never late!
In Exodus 2:23-25, the Israelites groaned under the weight of oppression, and their cries reached heaven. God heard. He remembered His covenant. He saw. He knew. And then—at the appointed time—He acted. His silence was never absence, nor was His waiting inaction. His justice, mercy, and deliverance arrived at the perfect moment.
How is your prayer life? Do you set the spiritual climate like a thermostat, steadfast, warm and unwavering? Or do you merely react like a thermometer reading the temperature around you, shifting with the climate and circumstances around you?
True desperation for God is not weakness but has to do with clarity—He aligns us with a reality check. As
If you're not desperate for God, then you are distracted or simply deluded.
If we daily look to God to meet all our needs we can live on fire for the Lord. If we looked him to meet half or some of our needs, we will be lukewarm spiritually. If we don't look to him to meet our knees, we'll be worldly and far from. If you sense that you're far from him, then gets who moved away. You did.
Let each of us pray with fervency and live all ablaze for Christ, trusting in His sovereign timing. He cares. He hears. He sees. He knows. And when the time is right—He acts. He responds.
With Bible verses, many or few, there must be at least one wise application. Certainly! There's one good interpretation and could be multiple applications. Sound hermeneutics teaches this.
1. Cry Out Honestly, candidly, wholeheartedly, sincerely..
Jesus invites us to come as we are. Lay your burdens before God without pretense. Whether your words are raw or refined, He hears the desperate cry of a broken heart.
Lord, if it's not a wise application of your word (from a certain passage) then we really don't want it, because there have already been way too many foolish applications done from well-meaning people and yet that's simply a bad witness to those of this watching world.
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
*Application: Speak honestly, directly to God (he's there with you) and out loud if possible. Kneel and ask reverently, respectfully, expectantly. Weep if it's needed. Not forever. Say something like, "Father, I love You and yet don’t have the strength to get this done your way.. but You do."
2. Pray the Scriptures
God’s Word is truly alive, and praying His promises strengthens faith inside of you. The Psalms are filled with the honest cries of desperate people.
“In my distress, I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple, he heard my voice” (Psalm 18:6).
*Application: Open your Bible to the Psalms, to Isaiah, or to the Gospels. Carefully read through a passage aloud and personalize it as a prayer. It never hurts to let your own ears hear the truth your mouth is saying. Example:
I loved you Jesus -- you've been so good to me. "Lord, You say You are my refuge and strength (see Psalm 46:1). Right now, I feel so weak and need You to be that for me."
3. Pray in Jesus' Name with Confidence
Jesus gave us access to the Father. Praying in His name isn’t just a phrase—it’s standing in the authority of Christ.
“Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).
You have not (what you need right now) because you asked not..simple as that.
"I have ascended to the highest in me, and look, the Word is towering above that. I have descended to explore my lowest depths, and I found Him deeper still." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux
“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me..” Psalm 42:7
In typically beautiful poetry, the Psalm expresses a cry from the heart of God’s people during "a time of trouble."
We recognize that human needs here are great, but the riches of God are always greater. Our wisdom is shallow, but His knowledge and judgments are unsearchable (Romans 11:33–34). God’s thoughts are deep (Psalm 92:5). His love is as deep as His immense heart (Ephesians 3:18–19), as He proved when He gave His only begotten Son to die for us (John 3:16). The height, breadth, and depth of God’s resources are without measure. From the depth of his despair, the psalmist found help in the depth of God’s goodness, and he was able to say in conclusion, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (Psalm 42:11, NLT).
We recognize that human needs here are great, but the riches of God are always greater. Our wisdom is shallow, but His knowledge and judgments are unsearchable (Romans 11:33–34). God’s thoughts are deep (Psalm 92:5). His love is as deep as His immense heart (Ephesians 3:18–19), as He proved when He gave His only begotten Son to die for us (John 3:16). The height, breadth, and depth of God’s resources are without measure. From the depth of his despair, the psalmist found help in the depth of God’s goodness, and he was able to say in conclusion, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (Psalm 42:11, NLT).
But deep calls to deep, a deep of light to a deep of darkness, a deep of mercy to a deep of misery (see Psalm 41:8). The human heart is deep and inscrutable, but if my iniquity is great, Lord, much greater is your loving-kindness! Therefore when my soul is troubled within me, I remember the abundance of your mercy and I am refreshed by it, and when I enter into my own power I will not call to mind your justice only (see Psalm 6:4, 70:16 105:7; John 12:27). When you experience spiritual timidity, meditate on the fact that God’s loving-kindness and mercy is greater than any sin of ours. Christ on the cross bore our sins in his body and “by his wounds you have been healed. ~ Bernard of Clairvaux
Remember.. before the Exodus from Egypt led by Moses, there was a time of waiting with preparation.
Moses had received a splendid education (see Acts 7:22), but he was lacking in biblical faith. He fought the wrong enemy at the wrong time with the wrong weapon.
Man, when you start to look around and ask yourself "Is it safe?" and not "Is it right?" you are not praying and have stopped living by faith. When you do pray remember...
Sometimes the Lord says no.
Sometimes the Lord says go.
Sometimes the Lord says slow and
Sometimes the Lord says grow.
Sometimes God has to "set us aside" (like he did with his leader Mo) to teach us what we need to know and to help us learn to pray effectively. It teaches us to forget the ways the world does things. Moses' impulsive deed sent him to the back side of the desert for forty years, just as his impulsive words would keep him out of the Promised Land (Num. 20:9-13). An impatient spirit is a dangerous thing, but a person praying biblically will be used mightily.
Moses spent 40 years in Pharaoh's Court learning that he was a somebody. (Prayer?) And then 40 years on the back side of the desert learning that he was a nobody (Prayer?), and then another 40 years in God's presence learning to pray and what the Lord could do with a somebody who realized that he was a nobody.
After praying—you know with our desperate cry to a strong, kind, and ever-faithful God—there is often a waiting period. Yet, in His perfect wisdom, God never delays; He moves precisely when the time is right. He sees, He hears, and He knows—always. He passes up a lot of opportunities to be early but he's never late!
In Exodus 2:23-25, the Israelites groaned under the weight of oppression, and their cries reached heaven. God heard. He remembered His covenant. He saw. He knew. And then—at the appointed time—He acted. His silence was never absence, nor was His waiting inaction. His justice, mercy, and deliverance arrived at the perfect moment.
How is your prayer life? Do you set the spiritual climate like a thermostat, steadfast, warm and unwavering? Or do you merely react like a thermometer reading the temperature around you, shifting with the climate and circumstances around you?
True desperation for God is not weakness but has to do with clarity—He aligns us with a reality check. As
If you're not desperate for God, then you are distracted or simply deluded.
If we daily look to God to meet all our needs we can live on fire for the Lord. If we looked him to meet half or some of our needs, we will be lukewarm spiritually. If we don't look to him to meet our knees, we'll be worldly and far from. If you sense that you're far from him, then gets who moved away. You did.
Let each of us pray with fervency and live all ablaze for Christ, trusting in His sovereign timing. He cares. He hears. He sees. He knows. And when the time is right—He acts. He responds.
Desperate Yet Impulsive Leaders (Prov. 19:2)
- MosesExod. 2:11-14; Num. 20:9-13
- David1 Sam. 25:1-13
- Elijah1 Kings 19:1-3
- PeterJohn 18:10
- Mary MagdaleneJohn 20:1-2
With Bible verses, many or few, there must be at least one wise application. Certainly! There's one good interpretation and could be multiple applications. Sound hermeneutics teaches this.
So here’s an expanded version with practical applications for a desperate man on how to pray to our Father God in the name of Jesus: Father, you see. Please help me today. In Jesus' name. Never has to be long.
*Desperate Prayer, Perfect Timing
After prayer—our desperate cry to this strong, kind, and ever-faithful God—there is often a waiting period. Not always..a waiting period. Yet, in His perfect wisdom, God never delays too long; He moves precisely when the time is just right. He sees, He hears, and He knows—always.
In Exodus 2:23-25, the Israelites groaned under the weight of oppression -- their cries went up and reached heaven. God heard. He remembered His covenant. He saw. He knew. And then—at the appointed time—He acted. His silence never meant absence, nor was His waiting cuz of passivity, indifference or inaction. His perfect justice, mercy, and deliverance arrived at the perfect moment for the Jews. He'll come through for you too, believer.
But how should a desperate man pray? How should he keep asking, hoping, and trusting while waiting for God’s perfect timing?
*Desperate Prayer, Perfect Timing
After prayer—our desperate cry to this strong, kind, and ever-faithful God—there is often a waiting period. Not always..a waiting period. Yet, in His perfect wisdom, God never delays too long; He moves precisely when the time is just right. He sees, He hears, and He knows—always.
In Exodus 2:23-25, the Israelites groaned under the weight of oppression -- their cries went up and reached heaven. God heard. He remembered His covenant. He saw. He knew. And then—at the appointed time—He acted. His silence never meant absence, nor was His waiting cuz of passivity, indifference or inaction. His perfect justice, mercy, and deliverance arrived at the perfect moment for the Jews. He'll come through for you too, believer.
But how should a desperate man pray? How should he keep asking, hoping, and trusting while waiting for God’s perfect timing?
1. Cry Out Honestly, candidly, wholeheartedly, sincerely..
Jesus invites us to come as we are. Lay your burdens before God without pretense. Whether your words are raw or refined, He hears the desperate cry of a broken heart.
Lord, if it's not a wise application of your word (from a certain passage) then we really don't want it, because there have already been way too many foolish applications done from well-meaning people and yet that's simply a bad witness to those of this watching world.
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
*Application: Speak honestly, directly to God (he's there with you) and out loud if possible. Kneel and ask reverently, respectfully, expectantly. Weep if it's needed. Not forever. Say something like, "Father, I love You and yet don’t have the strength to get this done your way.. but You do."
2. Pray the Scriptures
God’s Word is truly alive, and praying His promises strengthens faith inside of you. The Psalms are filled with the honest cries of desperate people.
“In my distress, I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple, he heard my voice” (Psalm 18:6).
*Application: Open your Bible to the Psalms, to Isaiah, or to the Gospels. Carefully read through a passage aloud and personalize it as a prayer. It never hurts to let your own ears hear the truth your mouth is saying. Example:
I loved you Jesus -- you've been so good to me. "Lord, You say You are my refuge and strength (see Psalm 46:1). Right now, I feel so weak and need You to be that for me."
3. Pray in Jesus' Name with Confidence
Jesus gave us access to the Father. Praying in His name isn’t just a phrase—it’s standing in the authority of Christ.
“Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).
You have not (what you need right now) because you asked not..simple as that.
"You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4:2-3 niv
*Application: End your casual conversational prayers with confidence and listening. Does a verse or passage come to mind?:
“Father God, I ask this in Jesus’ mighty name, trusting in You and Your perfect will. Grateful!”
4. Listen in Stillness
Prayer is a simple two-way conversation. After pouring out your heart, take time to be silent before Him.
I often want God to be louder. I need to pause to hear the still small voice.
“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
*Application: Find a quiet place. Breathe deeply. Sit in silence for a few minutes, simply being aware of His presence.
5. Keep Praying, Even When It Feels Useless
Jesus taught persistence in prayer (Luke 18:1-8). Even when nothing seems to change, every prayer moves heaven.
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (See James 5:16 and the context).
*Application: Set a daily time to pray, no matter how you feel. Keep a journal and write down your requests. Look back later to see how God answered.
6. Pray with Others
There is power in united prayer. Jesus said,
“Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20).
*Application: Find a trusted brother in Christ. Call, meet, or text them for some prayer. If you’re truly desperate, don’t isolate yourself— be reasonable and reach out.
Even the lone ranger have Tonto.
7. Praise Him in Advance
Thanking God before seeing the answer is an act of faith.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
*Application: Every day, thank God for His faithfulness—even before you see results.
Say, “Lord, I trust You, and I thank You that You are already working.”
Is Your Prayer Life like a Thermostat or a Thermometer? Is your spiritual temperature red hot for Jesus (as you need it to be), or lukewarm, or icy cold?
*Application: End your casual conversational prayers with confidence and listening. Does a verse or passage come to mind?:
“Father God, I ask this in Jesus’ mighty name, trusting in You and Your perfect will. Grateful!”
4. Listen in Stillness
Prayer is a simple two-way conversation. After pouring out your heart, take time to be silent before Him.
I often want God to be louder. I need to pause to hear the still small voice.
“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
*Application: Find a quiet place. Breathe deeply. Sit in silence for a few minutes, simply being aware of His presence.
5. Keep Praying, Even When It Feels Useless
Jesus taught persistence in prayer (Luke 18:1-8). Even when nothing seems to change, every prayer moves heaven.
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (See James 5:16 and the context).
*Application: Set a daily time to pray, no matter how you feel. Keep a journal and write down your requests. Look back later to see how God answered.
6. Pray with Others
There is power in united prayer. Jesus said,
“Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20).
*Application: Find a trusted brother in Christ. Call, meet, or text them for some prayer. If you’re truly desperate, don’t isolate yourself— be reasonable and reach out.
Even the lone ranger have Tonto.
7. Praise Him in Advance
Thanking God before seeing the answer is an act of faith.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
*Application: Every day, thank God for His faithfulness—even before you see results.
Say, “Lord, I trust You, and I thank You that You are already working.”
Is Your Prayer Life like a Thermostat or a Thermometer? Is your spiritual temperature red hot for Jesus (as you need it to be), or lukewarm, or icy cold?
What's the Hebrew word translated here as “deep”? This refers to the deepest of depths in the sea. The sons of Korah exiled with David had lost all footing because they arrogantly rebelled, and they felt as if recurring waves of trouble had plunged their souls into bottomless seas of sorrow and despair. The prophet Jonah used similar language to describe his deep predicament after God’s discipline in his life: “You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me” (Jonah 2:3).
But there’s another interpretation of this word "deep" in Psalm 42. The songwriter expressed the fact that his soul was in deep DEEP NEED of God. The psalmist calls out from his own depths of profound longing and need for the unfathomable greatness of God. A deep need calls for a deep remedy.
Clairvaux resonates with this - he also wrote explaining deep calling unto deep:
Yes, Clairvaux assures us, "deep misery crying out to the deep of an infinitely Merciful God."
We all want change both inside and outside. That's why we pray and believe.
I'm not sure if you're hurting today but when our hearts of misery meet with Christ's depth of mercy, It will be addressed adequately.. we will be changed...
We will grow and be "transformed" into his image.
But there’s another interpretation of this word "deep" in Psalm 42. The songwriter expressed the fact that his soul was in deep DEEP NEED of God. The psalmist calls out from his own depths of profound longing and need for the unfathomable greatness of God. A deep need calls for a deep remedy.
Clairvaux resonates with this - he also wrote explaining deep calling unto deep:
"Oh God, deep calls unto deep....
..The deep of my profound
misery
calling out to
the deep of
Your infinite mercy.."
Yes, Clairvaux assures us, "deep misery crying out to the deep of an infinitely Merciful God."
There is one merciful God and He can handle the pain, frustration, the anxiety, the lack, the brokenness...and can address/heal all of it!
..who can handle years of injustice here....and can bring justice!
..who knows what it feels like to be innocently hurt, wounded, slaughtered...and still forgive!
..who hurts with the same kind of hurt inside that we feel...and can solace or carry the crushed in spirit.
Because He is a God of Mercy, He gets it. Always!
We all want change both inside and outside. That's why we pray and believe.
There is only one way we can get everlasting change.. it's via the holy reverential fear, repentance, biblical worship of God -- saving faith.. in Jesus.
It's via in obedient surrender to this God of Mercy.
A God who loves deeply with real empathy.
This God who shows up with compassion.
I'm not sure if you're hurting today but when our hearts of misery meet with Christ's depth of mercy, It will be addressed adequately.. we will be changed...
We will grow and be "transformed" into his image.
