So much of what we pray for has been accomplished before we ask, before we are aware of the need, and, for the grace of God, before we were born:
This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (2 Timothy 1:9-10)
Our sense of time and our timetables do not mesh with divine providence. Pray, believe, trust—but whenever I put a timeline on the manifestation of the gift, I begin to walk by sight and not by faith. Setting timelines seems about the equivalent of looking at the waves when one begins to walk on water.Author of this post: Louis Burkhardt