What is the Date for Answered Prayer?

Please welcome a new contributor to Under the Cover of Prayer – Susan Harris. Please read her bio below this post. And she would love to hear your thoughts. Her first post is taken from her book Golden Apples in Silver Settings. The chapter is called “Fresh Resolve to Pray”. Stay tuned for the next instalment in this series.

What is the Date for Answered Prayer?

by Susan Harris

When my daughter was approaching her third birthday, one of her friends sent a parcel by mail four weeks ahead of the big day. Radiance saw the gift before I could hide it so I laid it in full view high up on the book shelf. Each day she would look wistfully at the yellow-wrapped box, beckoning enticingly beyond her reach. I felt sorry for her and moved the box out of sight, but she kept asking to see it so I placed it on the shelf again. The little girl was very excited at the promise of the parcel which she knew contained something good because it was from someone who loved her.

Waiting was hard, and two-year olds have no concept of time. She measured time in terms of ‘how long it took to watch a Dora show on TV.’ We also measured time by the number of sleeps, but she could not conceptualize twenty eight sleeps until her birthday.

I am reminded that God measures time in eternity,
and we humans cannot fathom what that really is. (tweet this) 

Then the Holy Spirit whispered a nugget of truth regarding the delay of answered prayer:

“Each prayer you’ve prayed is like a gift waiting to be opened,
and it has a date on it.” (tweet this)

It was a light bulb moment for me. And Friend, I believe that God has a response date on the packages of your prayers. And it could be today! Ten days from now, one year from now, or in another time frame.

Hold on to the Word of the Lord that each prayer you’ve uttered has been heard, and like a child waiting to open a gift anticipating the promise of its goodness, the answer to your prayer is waiting to unfold on its due date.

Through seasons of seemingly unanswered prayer – and I say ‘seemingly’ because Wait is an answer, just as No is a response – I want to encourage you to expect your answers. To vow that for better or for worse that you will never stop praying and believing. For your prayers will be answered. The fullness of time for you will come. This has been settled in heaven a long time ago and sealed with the caption:

“Not one jot or tittle of His word shall return unanswered.” (Matthew 5:18 paraphrased.)

Susan Harris

Susan is a speaker, wife, mother, and former teacher. Prayer is her passion, and except for salvation, it is the subject on which she has spoken most frequently over 20 years of Christian ministry. She is also the author of three books – Little Copper Pennies for Kids, Little Copper Pennies: Celebrating the Life of the Canadian one cent piece (for adults) and Golden Apples in Silver Settings. She loves kittens, pennies, and making new friends. Find her at www.susanharris.ca, on Facebook at SusanHarrisCanadianAuthor, and on Twitter @SusanHarris20.