answered prayers.

I've been thinking lately about the timing of prayers, or more specifically the timing of answers to prayer.

Back in February, my friend Kelly was laid off. She had an interview scheduled for the very next day (planned before the lay-off), and started at her new place (which she loves) a week and a half later. This is the thought that kept running through my head: God was at work answering a prayer that she hadn't even prayed yet.

When I first heard that my lay-off was coming, I sent an email to several friends asking them to pray, and to let me know of any open opportunities they knew about. My friend Heather (a producer for The 700 Club) immediately emailed me back to let me know that there were several open IT positions at CBN, that she had been asked to publicize on the show the very next day. I applied, and had a phone interview a week later. I interviewed in person the next week, on a Thursday, received and accepted the job offer on Friday (also my last day with LJT), and started work the next Tuesday. God was already at work answering a prayer that I had only barely begun to pray.

Amid the haze of happiness and overwhelming gratitude that I felt that weekend, I realized that its been a desire of mine to work for a non-profit company for seven years. I've pursued different positions during that time, but the timing was never quite right for any of them.

Tonight was the first REFUGE event, the culmination of a vision God gave BJ four years ago. Four years ago, three years ago, two years ago, even one year ago wasn't God's timing. Now is.

I suppose that you could look at these examples, taken together, and believe that God is random, or that he blesses people arbitrarily, or that prayers are not really answered, but circumstances make them appear so.

I don't. I choose to believe that God has both perfect timing and a perfect will. That sometimes he answers our prayers with a yes, sometimes with a no, and sometimes with a not now. I choose to believe that my life in his hands is a far better present and future than it would be if I ran it myself.

For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail
Though it tarries, wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it will not delay.
- Habbakuk 2:3