The Three Answers to Prayer

Three. That’s it. You can expect one of three answers to a prayer asked of God.

Everyone loves the first answer, yes.

Certainly. That means God agrees with you and the response is probably staring into your delighted face.

No, is the second answer and while that can be disappointing, at least it’s an answer. You can adapt yourself to no. You may not understand the why, but a no is an answer.

So, you adapt and hope for a yes next time.

But the third answer is the one most people moan about, because it feels so, well, indecisive.

Wait.

I used to squirm when the answer came back “wait,” but I’ve since changed my mind.

I think wait is a scintillating answer.

Wait is full of promise.

It suggests there’s more to come and you get the front row seat.

How’s that?

Years ago, I marched in the clarinet and saxophone sections of the UCLA Marching Band. The Bruins went to the Rose Bowl one of those years, and we marched in the Rose Parade through Pasadena. It was exciting and lots of fun.

The parade route also was five miles long.

Periodically along the way, we had to “mark time.” That meant stay in one spot and lift your legs up and down–marching without moving–holding your instrument to your lips but not playing.

Several times that day the whistle blew for us to halt–“parade rest.” We stopped marching, stood with our legs comfortably apart and held our instruments down. The clarinets and alto saxes were tucked under our right arms and we could relax.

“Parade rest” is a lot like waiting.

It’s an opportunity to catch your breath. You’re not supposed to talk, but you can think all you like. You can recall where you’ve been. You can regroup and think about where you’re going. You can turn your head and notice where you are. It’s a pause; a time to relax while remaining on alert.

You know the whistle is coming and you’ll be stepping off soon, falling the drum major’s lead through the streets. And the end, at least for us in Pasadena on that January 1, was a stadium full of screaming excited fans.

I’ve come to see that God’s answer “wait” to a prayer request is a lot like that experience in the band.

Usually when God asks us to wait, it has more to do with His getting things in order–and whatever He needs to do hasn’t happened yet.

Some of it may have to do with us–we’re not mature enough to handle a yes, or perhaps we have lessons to learn before God can do whatever it is we’re asking about in prayer.

Something just isn’t ready yet.

So, while we wait for the answer to become clear–because sometimes a no is a terrific answer–we should savor the rest. Take time to think back to what brought us to this moment of needing to wait. Take deep breaths. Relax. Think about what is to come and rejoice with what currently is.

Because the whistle will come soon enough, and it will be time to move on to that yes or to that definitive no.

You want to be ready to step off just at the right time.

What’s the hardest thing about waiting on God for you?