From Bill— Has hope deferred made your your heart sick as Proverbs says can happen? Sometimes it will, but the following awareness may help. Recently several issues had my undivided attention and fervent prayer. They even kept me up at night to pray. And they had scriptural support. But these things did not occur! My faith was shaken. I often see issues or opportunities that I decide need to happen and I begin to align my prayers with them. Often they don’t happen. I began to believe that if the prayer was not answered in the way I believed, then God was showing His disapproval of me. While I was praying, I unknowingly attached my faith in God’s concern for me, to the outcome of those issues. When they did not happen, I began to wonder and doubt. And then – God did something awesome that was unrelated to what I prayed for but that I needed. He showed me HE IS STILL THERE and He wants my love to be for Him – NOT for outcomes. This tells me to Seek the GIVER, not the gift. HE REALLY IS THERE, AND HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS and His thoughts higher than ours. Always seek Him first & foremost. Love Mel
