If I asked you to tell me what you see in the picture above you would probably say, “a dead flower and a live flower”. Wrong.

The truth is, they are both dead. The one on the right still looks alive, but its life source has been cut off. It’s just as dead as the one on the left. It's only a matter of time before this shows.

The same happens when we pray. The medical diagnosis doesn’t change. Your finances don’t get better. That child continues in the wrong course. The marriage gets closer to a divorce. You’ve prayed numerous times, but nothing changes - at least in plain sight. You see, once you pray, God begins working on your miracle. The challenge is that your miracle will happen, but not in your time. God works on His own time because His time is flawless.

There was a time when Jesus tried to get fruit from a fig tree and found none. In discontent, Jesus cursed the tree. What is interesting about this story is that the tree didn’t automatically dry up. It is recorded that the disciples heard Him when He cursed the tree, but nothing happened to it at that moment. These same disciples had seen Him perform wondrous miracles in the past. Seeing the tree remain visibly alive after Jesus spoke must have stirred some questions in their hearts about Jesus’ power. They went on their way and the scripture tells that the next morning they passed by the same tree and this time found it had withered from the roots up. The disciples in amazement pointed out to Jesus the tree and how it was now dead. Jesus replied and reminded them of the importance of believing what we pray for regardless of what we see. The moment Jesus cursed it, the tree was cut from its life source. It was only a matter of time before the miracle was seen. It had to happen in God’s time.

In another biblical story, the Israelites were trying to cross the Jordan. The Lord told Joshua to tell the priests bearing the ark of the covenant to stand in the water once they got to the river. Now the amazing part is that when their feet touched the water, the waters began to stop flowing a great distance away. They couldn’t see it, as it was a far distance. But the miracle was already in motion. It was just a matter of time and all of Israel ultimately completed the crossing on dry ground. Imagine if they got discouraged and turned back or, even worse, doubted God. They could have forfeited the miracle and never made it to the other side.

The same happens when we pray. It may look like things are  not changing. You’re still stuck at a dead-end job; that marital situation worsens by the day; the off-course child keeps making bad decisions; that addiction is still thriving; your health seems to continue in decline; the bills keep stacking up and your financial situation doesn’t change…keep your faith. It's only a matter of time before the miracle happens. God already heard your prayer. He has set the miracle in motion. Your job now is to believe and receive in your heart what you have prayed for. Don’t worry about how long it's taking. Don’t get tricked into thinking God did not hear you. Don’t lose your faith. The miracle is already in motion. Healing is on its way; the marriage is already saved; that child’s ways have already changed; you are already coming into financial freedom…like the Israelites, the waters may look like they are not parting, but have faith that the miracle is coming and you will ultimately complete the crossing on dry land.

Amen.


—R Bermudez