He is faithful. Stop, rest and listen.

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.  Jeremiah 31:25

Many years ago, I was out of work and tried to find employment to no avail. Frustrated at not being able to earn my own living, I determined that I would move into one of the places set aside for prayer and fasting in my country and stay there until God answers my prayer.

I walked into that prayer mountain angry, with a loud mouth before God and a lot of noise in His Presence. From day one, I brought out my prayer list and talked non-stop before Him.

I ranted. I raved. I cried. I prayed myself out sore.

I read the Bible. I looked for answers. I paced.

Day after day, I did this, until one day I realised I had run out of personal prayer points and because I was determined not to depend on anyone for a place to live or food to eat, I had to continue staying at the mountain.

So I turned into intercession and drew up a list of people to pray for. I prayed for them…and prayed…and talked…and talked.

Without even realising it, our very patient and merciful Father had been working on my heart even in my weak, troubled, tumultuous, noisy prayers. And the tide was about to turn.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalm 51:10-12

So one morning I woke up, and as usual, I freshened up, took my Bible, journal and pen and began to walk to the prayer gardens, prepared to do what I had been doing before.

When I sat down on the grass, and just before I could start, Father stopped me. He said to me, “Today, I just want us to lie down here, together, in silence.” It didn’t make any sense, because I had never done that before. To me, prayer was limited to talking, talking and talking some more.

Nevertheless, He enabled me and I lay down on the grass looking up to the sky, and kept quiet. Then I became aware that someone was lying down beside me. My spirit could sense and see Him, even though my physical eyes could not. The peace was overwhelming. The rest and the calmness overtook me. Neither of us spoke for a long time.

The following day, the same thing happened. The difference was, every time, the sense of His Presence grew stronger and stronger and I began to encounter His love in a deeper, more tangible way.

From feeling abandoned and forgotten by Him, I now felt so loved and wanted by Him that I forgot there was any other thing out there. I forgot people go to work. I forgot everything. I became perfectly content to be with Him. He became ENOUGH.

And then one day, in that place of perfect peace and rest, I remember seeing an office space, within which there was a brown desk and a beautiful green seat.

And my heart, without even verbalising it, spoke to His Heart and said, “Dad, ooh, how I miss to be in an office. It’s not even the money I am after. I just want that feeling of going to work every day.”

I enjoyed that moment, imagining myself in that office that I saw. He didn’t say anything in response, but I felt my heart’s expression accessed His Heart.

Two or three days later, I received a phone call inviting me to an interview. I traveled back to the city and began attending the series of interviews. While that was in progress, my dream company invited me for an interview.

In my spirit, I knew God had given me both jobs to choose from by His grace. And when I entered my dream company for the first time, there was the green seat, and there was the brown desk!

Many times when we are engaging with God, we may feel like He is not listening or like He forgot us a long time ago. But He is so loving, so kind, so patient. Persistence in prayer by His grace and by the power of His Spirit always pays.

I have tasted of the Lord over and over and I know He is good. Sweeter than honey. Dependable. Reliable. There’s none like Him in all the earth. Even when we are faithless, He remains faithful because He cannot deny Himself.

DON’T GIVE UP ON PRAYER!

DON’T GIVE UP ON GOD!