During times of waiting on God, there is a “white space.” That’s when nothing seems to be happening—at least nothing visible. You could easily tell yourself at the time, “I’m waiting in vain. Nothing’s going to change.”

That’s precisely what the Adversary wants you to think: “Waiting on God is a waste.”

Don’t you believe it!

When the Enemy’s message slips into your mind, you need to kick it out. Reject it. Call it the lie that it is. As Paul wrote,

We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

See how practical that is? Every thought.

During those times when doubt and discouragement creep into our waiting periods, the Lord provides us with strong counsel to remember. 

Many years ago, I went through a dreadful experience with a person who decided to make me his enemy. I still don’t know why he had it in for me. It remains a mystery. Nevertheless, it occurred.

This individual decided to make my life miserable.

• He watched my every move.
• He questioned my decisions.
• He cast doubts on my ministry.
• This person applied pressure, sometimes to the point where I thought I would scream.

I don’t know how much he said to others about his opinion of me; I never asked. But he said enough to me and was bullying and intimidating enough that I became frightened, especially when I realized he carried a gun!

Eventually, on one occasion, he even threatened me with it.

If prayer is the cure for worry, you might be tempted to think that your prayer was ineffective. Maybe you feel that you somehow failed because your anxiety returned—perhaps as soon as you said, “Amen.”

Happens to me from time to time. I take my persistent anxiety as a signal that I need more time before the Father, reviewing all the details of my situation, telling Him how much it plagues me, and sometimes even admitting that I’m afraid He won’t handle it soon enough.

Having a deep, persistent concern for a problem is not the same as worry. Not at all!

• Worry is choosing to fret and churn instead of turning it completely over to God.
• Worry is wrestling with anxiety on your own rather than releasing it to the Father.

Big difference.

Most people whom I consider to be men and women of prayer go before God because their hearts are heavy. They tell me that nothing but continual conversation with Him brings them relief.

So, if you tend to worry a lot, here’s a solution.

The church can get slick. Its ministers can become perfunctory in their tasks. I guess that’s why I love Pastor John Piper’s excellent volume, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals (great title!).

Read his words carefully.

Some of you are facing what could easily be called an unsolvable problem. (How do I know that? I’m a pastor too.) It’s you, especially, I hope to encourage today. Often the situations with no human answers form the platform on which God does some of His best work.

This is illustrated beautifully in the life of Job, who is an ongoing example of unsolvable problems. Job’s biography includes a clipboard full of questions about suffering: Is God fair? Is this situation just?

What is a person to learn when going through deep waters of suffering?

Can you remember when life was joyful? Even funny? When did everything get so serious?

When did a well-exercised sense of humor get sacrificed on the altar of adulthood? Who says becoming a “responsible person” means a long face and an all-serious attitude toward life?

A very precocious ten-year old asked, “How old are you, Grandma?”