Wait upon the Lord — Angus Buchan

A monthly column by farmer, preacher and writer for Jesus, Angus Buchan

The Bible tells us very clearly in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NKJV), “pray without ceasing.”

After the “It’s Time” meeting on April 22 some people have suggested that God has not heard our prayers.
I do not agree with that and I do not believe that is true because we have to stand on the Word of God which says in James 5:16 (NKJV), “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” God is working sovereignly behind the scenes and there are things happening that you and I have got no idea about, yet!

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I read a beautiful description of a person who is not prepared to wait for God to answer his prayers. The writer said that our prayers often resemble the mischievous tricks of town children, who knock on their neighbours’ doors and then run away before the people open the doors. He goes on to say that we often knock on Heaven’s door and then we run off into the spirit of the world, instead of waiting for entrance to be granted. We act as if we are afraid of having our prayers answered. The Lord says in Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV), “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’”

Many of us pray: “Lord, heal my child,” and then we don’t give God time to do it, or we ask the Lord to send us rain for our crops and we don’t wait for the rain to come. We try and sell our farms, or our livestock at a great loss.

We need to be more patient and wait for the Lord to act. Remember it is the prayer of faith that God answers, not just prayer.  . Mark 11:24 (NKJV) “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

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I know there’s nothing harder than a mother and a father looking upon a small child that is sick and having prayed the prayer of faith, and done all they can, but refuse to wait for God to move and heal the child, so they start making “plan B’s”. I don’t think that makes the Lord very happy at all.

In our beloved country of South Africa, at the moment we need to exercise extreme patience and restraint. “God said it, we believe it and that settles it,” according to Smith Wiglesworth, the old English plumber who understood the power of prayer. They say that he literally raised 12, or maybe more, people from the dead through his persistent, faithful prayers.

Remember there is no more condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) and because some have got more patience than others, we don’t in any way condemn those that are trying to make a plan themselves, but we need to always be aware of the big picture. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us insight into the way forward.

This country of ours, South Africa, has got amazing potential and I firmly believe with all my heart that the light that comes out of South Africa through the Lord Jesus Christ, will illuminate the whole continent of Africa. This continent is no longer the “dark continent”. It is becoming the continent of light, but it requires you and me to stand on God’s promises, to stand on the Word of God and to believe for every single one of our prayers to be answered.

The Lord asks us a question in Luke 11:11-14 (NKJV), “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” So why would He not answer our prayers?

He will answer every single one of our prayers because He is a good God, but we’ve got to give Him time and we’ve got to continue to trust Him by faith.

May God bless you, as you continue to become a man and a woman, a boy and a girl of faith. It is only faith in the promises of God that pleases Him, not effort. Remember the Lord says in Galatians 6:9 (NKJV), “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart

God bless,

Angus and Jill Buchan