IN THE WAITING

I’ve lived in my condo for over 12 years and during this entire time, the patch of grass near my front door has never grown…ever. In fact, I’ve basically moved on from calling it grass to now using a more appropriate name…a patch of dirt. There’s a tree that covers a large portion of this area and the size of it prohibits the ground from getting any sunlight. Additionally, the tree often prevents the ground from receiving the benefits of rainfall which I assume adds to the problem. Over the years, the condo association has made some futile attempts to remedy the problem. They’ve laid down new sod on a few occasions but ultimately, the grass ends up dying. After many years of failed attempts to grow grass, I had concluded this ground was simply unsuited for life and nothing of value would ever grow from it.

Then came spring of 2020, and with it Covid-19. As I began spending more and more time at home due to the state wide stay at home measures, I found myself frequently staring at the patch of dirt and getting more and more annoyed with how ugly it looked. And with extra time now readily available, I decided it was time to fix this long standing problem. I went to Home Depot and found grass seeds that claimed to grow in the harshest weather conditions…including no sun. In addition, I bought a rake, gloves, and a few bags of soil. And when I got home, I followed the directions on the bag of seeds perfectly. I laid down soil, spread out the seeds and then laid down more soil on top. And then I watered the ground. And the next day, bright and early, I watered it again. That evening, I watered it some more. I did exactly what the instructions on the bag said and I watered the seeds twice a day, every day. And each day while I stood outside watering the ground, I felt excitement as I patiently waited to see my hard work come to fruition.

It was evening on day 14 and I was getting ready to water the seeds. As I stood there, it struck me that there wasn’t even a hint of green popping up from the ground. Even though I had confidence that I had done everything right according to the instructions, I began to feel a little discouraged by the pile of dirt still showing no signs of life. I was tempted not to water the seeds but figured I was already outside so I might as well water them for the last time. The next morning, as I was lying in bed debating whether or not to go outside and water the seeds, I started to question if there was any value in doing so. If two weeks of regularly watering the ground didn’t do anything, what was another day going to do? I ditched the watering and opted to go back to bed. Later that day, I needed to run some errands and as I left my house, to my surprise, I saw a light green fuzz spread out all over the dirt. I quickly got on my knees and started to inspect the green fuzz. I was so excited at the progress that seemed to have occurred in less than 24 hours. And then God gently whispered:

“A lot can happen in the waiting”.

At first I thought He was referring to the grass but as I stood up, I knew grass had nothing to do with what God was talking about. Over the next few days, God began revealing to me how waiting on seeds to grow is similar to time waiting on prayer. During those initial two weeks, I watered those seeds twice a day, and never gave up. But as day 14 came and went and no grass was showing, I lost faith in those seeds and gave up on all the work I had put into them because it appeared that nothing was happening. But the reality is that a lot was going on, even when I couldn't see it. The seeds had been growing all along, but all the work was hidden from my eyes.

And that got me thinking about prayer. I have put a lot of time and effort into praying over the years but then I give up because I have nothing to show for it. Isn't it funny how we start off so excited and committed to prayer but then those feelings start to fade and the passion we had on day one expecting to hear an answer turns into us feeling like praying is more of a chore than a privilege. As I pondered all of this, I started thinking about what God had spoken to me while I was inspecting the grass. Immediately, the story of Daniel in the Old Testament came to mind. We read in chapter 10, verses 12-13, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way.”

I believe this story is a great example of why we should be mindful not to lose heart and give up on prayer. This scripture clearly tells us that Daniel’s prayer was heard from the first day Daniel had prayed and yet it took three weeks to reach Daniel. And that brings me back to what God spoke to me while I was outside looking at the grass: “A lot can happen in the waiting”. "A lot" could mean a variety of things. Maybe there is spiritual warfare that is hindering the prayer, just like what happened with Daniel. Or, it could mean that God is needing to move a few pieces around just perfectly for the prayer to be answered. Or, maybe the timing just isn't right and when it is, our prayers will be answered. Or maybe God is working on our heart as it relates to the prayer so that our prayers align with His will for our lives.

The interesting thing about the bag of seeds is that nowhere on it does it state when the grass will actually begin to show. Isn't it funny that we have no problem buying a bag of seeds that gives us no time frame for how long before they will work? We essentially buy seeds, water them daily and have faith that they will grow. I wonder what would happen if we treated our prayers like seeds and put no expectation on when they need to be answered and instead, simply kept watering them with faith, daily.

I’m willing to bet that everyone reading this is currently praying about something or has been praying about something recently. Let me encourage you to stay strong in prayer. Whatever your need is, be committed to praying about it every day. Don't get discouraged if nothing appears to be happening. You never know if the day you give up is the day when your prayer would have been answered. And remember what the scriptures say in James 1:6-7, "You must have faith as you ask Him. You must not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave which is pushed around by the sea. Such a man will get nothing from the Lord."

And of course, remember that a lot is happening….”in the waiting”.

† let the light in †