Jesus had taught the disciples to keep on praying persistently, while waiting for the answer to their prayers. He told them:
“So, I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.”
Luke 11:9-10 AMPC
It should be acknowledged here that no one can do this effectively, without practicing the presence of the Father persistently.
The presence of the Father is where we fellowship with Him. And He wants us to persistently be in fellowship with Him; instead of just zooming in and out of His presence as some Christians often do.
They are doing this because, they are more interested in the things which has taken them into His presence, instead of fellowshipping with Him there.
God is not in a rush to do anything for anyone. He has all of our times in His hand.
He is more interested about spending time in fellowship with you, than in the things of this world that are bothering you.
The things that you are more concerned about will perish with use in the world; but the Lord God desires that we as His own people, should get to know Him much more intimately (Luke 16:15).
He wants you to get more intimate in your relationship with Him now, so that you may begin to have a foretaste of what eternity with Him will be like. Everything that we do possess in this world are nothing in comparison with what is awaiting us in Heaven.
That’s why the amount of time that we are spending in His presence has so much value with Him. Every moment that you are spending with Him on the earth, secures and guarantees your place in Heaven with Him (John 14:2-4).
Joshua as an example from the Old Testament treasured the presence of the Lord, as a very young man. The scriptures described for us what Joshua normally did, every time he had accompanied Moses into the tabernacle of God’s presence.
Moses was a man who loved to fellowship in God’s presence. And that explains why he was able to see the back side of God. Moses spoke face to face with God with (the young man) Joshua’s eyes wide open, as he observed what was going on while Moses communicated with God.
And every time Moses came out of the tabernacle, Joshua would normally remain behind.
As a very young man Joshua was captivated by what he saw. He had his eyeballs completely glued on God’s presence, and God’s presence transformed him. No wonder he was so full of zeal for the Lord.
The scriptures say:
“So, the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.”
Exodus 33:11 NKJV
This was why the Lord God loved Joshua, and eventually picked him as the man to lead His people into the land which He had promised them.
Joshua loved to just spend time with God. And it’s important to notice that Moses never stopped him. And the Lord God never told Moses not to bring him into the tabernacle again. God is longing for all His people today, to have this same desire in them to know Him more, which was in Joshua.
Joshua just wanted to stay behind in the awesome presence of God. He just wanted to fellowship with Him.
One could imagine him as a young man following Moses around and asking him when next they would go back into the tabernacle. And any young person today would have loved to see what Joshua was seeing.
This attitude in Joshua caught the attention of all of heaven. Joshua positioned himself in the presence of the Lord as the next generation leader of His people after Moses.
This example of mentorship between Moses and Joshua is very important for everyone in the ministry today, to follow in mentoring those who are their disciples.
It’s important that the young Ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ be mentored, to know how to get into God’s presence. Moses did this in mentoring Joshua, and Jesus did the same thing in mentoring the twelve disciples, who later became Apostles.
Moses allowed Joshua to see him ministering while in physical weakness, but in the strength of the Lord. Joshua knew everything about the daily lifestyle of Moses. Nothing was a secret before him.
Joshua knew that it was God who had made Moses to become the great leader that he was. He saw how Moses conducted himself in the presence of the Lord God, and before the people.
We can ask, seek and knock for things in God’s presence; but we need to understand that; He is actually more interested in the time that we are spending to fellowship with Him.
However, we need to know that the fulfillment of the answer to our prayers as we are waiting for it, also has a timing element attached with it before the Lord.
We are free to do anything that we want to do in His presence. God is our Father. His presence is the best and safest playground for all His children. He wants all of us to be able to do what Joshua used to do in His presence also.
But persistency is crucial to the timing element, as we are waiting in His presence with the declaration of our faith before Him.
There are Christians who are sloppy and floppy with the profession of their faith before the Lord. They are strong with it while under a corporate anointing; but the moment when they are left alone to keep on confessing what they had started, the sloppiness and floppiness of their faith confession becomes evident.
Oftentimes it’s when you are allowing the enemy to target your faith confession, by being weary and tired of waiting before the Lord, that you will begin to get sloppy and floppy.
But as long as we are allowing our faith to keep on rising, to the level which matches up with our confession and God’s timing element, then something supernatural begins to happen and take shape in God’s presence, as we are tarrying there with Him. All of Heaven sees your faith rising up, and you now have the full attention of all the host of heaven.
This is why we are not to quit being persistent in God’s presence while waiting. The ability of a believer in Christ Jesus to pray in the Holy Spirit always is crucial, for the faith of that believer to rise up into the understanding of God’s timing element.
This was why Jude advised us:
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
Jude 1:20-21 NKJV
As we are building up our most holy faith by praying in the Spirit, we do have the duty to be waiting in God’s presence for that timing element to be fully completed.
By understanding God’s timing element for our lives in the spirit, we will be prompted to keep on waiting for His mercy. Understanding His timing element for our lives, gives us the spiritual fortitude to keep on persevering in His presence, even as we are praying.
The more time you are spending in God’s presence, the more of the abundance from His presence will be poured into your life.
This was what happened to Moses after he had spent forty days and nights in the presence of the Lord God. The glory of God’s presence was reflected on his face. The people could not look at the face of Moses.
As a result of this the Bible says:
“And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.”
Exodus 34:35 NKJV
No wonder Joshua wanted to enjoy God’s presence also. If this is not what Heaven on the earth is like; I wonder what else is like it?
God’s presence is the most exciting place to be. It is Heaven on the earth; even though we can only imagine what it is going to be like, when we will eventually get into Heaven.
No wonder Moses was instructed to bless God’s people in this manner by the Lord God Himself.
“The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;”
Numbers 6:25 NKJV
In other words, it’s the desire of the Father that the reflection of His face singles us out on the earth as His own people. It’s meant as a distinct mark to separate us, so that the evil one can recognize us and flee away from us (Deuteronomy 28:7).
God’s face shining upon you sets you apart for His glory on the earth.
God’s timing is for His glory!
The Father lives in us by His Spirit. And so as to understand His timing element as we are praying, He has given us His Spirit to live within us in guiding us through it.
This was exactly why Jesus said:
“If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!”
Luke 11:13 AMPC
Jesus was pointing out directly to us here that, our ability to be praying in the spirit and by the Spirit, aligns us with the timing of the Father, while we are praying and interceding in His presence.
The gift of the Spirit often manifests and flows through us, as we are praying in the spirit before the Father.
We can pray in the spirit and in our understanding, as we are making the declarations of our faith with persistency.
But oftentimes what we are being led to be declaring in the spirit, comes through the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit directly through us. All we have to do is to keep on declaring those things, as the Holy Spirit reveals them to us.
It’s important to always yield our spirit, soul and body to do whatever the Spirit of the Lord is prompting us to do at this moment. God wants to manifest Himself through you as you yield to His Spirit.
And oftentimes the Holy Spirit will lead you into the interpretation of those things, that you are uttering in the spirit as you are praying. This is where many had often failed in their ability to yield to the Holy Spirit.
The mind that is not being renewed with the word of God will make you think that it is weird. But the mind that is being renewed has no problem at all in yielding to the Holy Spirit.
Such moments are crucial to our ability in receiving the answer to our prayers. This is because the gift of faith (for example) is often in operation at such times. And proper timing is important for us to be able to function effectively, with this supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit.
If you let that moment, go away without yielding to the Holy Spirit, you may have to tarry longer than needed.
That’s why we need to be ready to yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit at any time. Spiritual things have time elements attached to them. Praying in the spirit and by the Spirit helps us to remain sensitive, and alert to the timing of God.
The Lord God does this to prepare us for what is unseen to us. As timing is important to you, it is also important to the devil also. As the scripture says:
“Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
Revelation 12:12 NKJV
The devil knows what timing is, concerning everything that we are doing in the spirit, as we are praying.
That’s why he will do anything to disrupt your prayer life. It’s crucial for us to be ready and available to do anything at any time in yielding to the Holy Spirit.
The timing of all things however is eternally in God’s presence; but when we are praying in the spirit, we are speaking His mysteries about the unseen things.
As Paul said:
“Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth—in Him.”
Ephesians 1:9-10 NKJV
Our understanding into the mystery of God’s perfect will is in the dispensation of the fullness of His perfect timing. The Lord will not reveal those things to us, until we have been well prepared to receive them. He will never allow us to understand certain things until we are ready for them.
That’s why Christians need to be careful about saying anything about, what the Lord has not supernaturally revealed to them.
By judging others who are declaring supernatural things, you are actually setting the stage for your own judgement (Matthew 7:1-2).
We therefore need to know that whenever the Lord gives us any promise, it always comes with a timing for it to manifest. That’s why we wait on Him.
Be spiritually harmonized with God’s timing!
Waiting on the Lord is related to the timing element with God, in getting us into harmony with Him and His perfect will for our lives.
You don’t want to be out of the will of God. The moment a Christian step out of God’s will, such a person is automatically in the will of the enemy.
The devil will exploit and do everything possible to manipulate you out of the will of God, even though you are in God’s presence. We must not forget that he is our accuser in the presence of the Father. He has access to the presence of the Lord just like us (Revelation 12:10).
But your ability to be praying in other tongues, makes it difficult for him to understand you and your Heavenly Father (1 Corinthians 14:2).
David once said as he waited before the Lord for the right time to ascend the throne of Israel:
“But as for me, I trust [confidently] in You and Your greatness, O Lord; I said, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hands; Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue and persecute me.”
Psalms 31:14-15 AMP
David surrendered his timing completely into the hand of the Lord. He knew that his enemies were trying to get him out of being in harmony with God. But he had trusted completely in the Lord to deliver him from the hands of his enemies.
And if you are well aware of the history of David, he had to face his enemies at every turn of his life; even while he was hiding in the wilderness.
He was anointed, but there was a timing element attached to the full manifestation of that anointing upon him. And the reason why he had so many enemies was because of the anointing that he was carrying.
If you are truly anointed by the Lord, but you are still waiting for the fullness of time to come for the manifestation of that anointing; there will be all kinds of attacks against you from every direction of your life.
The devil knows who you are, and he will do everything possible to stop you from getting into your fullness of time.
That is why you must never be in a hurry about anything, which you are doing. Stand your ground by fighting the good fight of faith in defeating your enemies. But understand that the more you are fighting and defeating them, the harder they will keep coming after you.
The devil will unleash all types of demonic attacks on you, with the purpose of hindering the flow of the anointing which you are carrying. He knows that he can’t stop you, but he will do everything to hinder you.
His aim is to get you off track and in disharmony with the Lord. Keep on waiting, as you are fighting the good fight of faith. The mere fact that they are against you from all directions, is a good sign that you are victorious.
They had seen you in the victory from the realm of the spirit. Your enemies do have certain information about you in the spirit, which you may not yet have access into.
That’s why they are against you from every angle. You must remain steadfast and faithful in your prayers and confession of faith.
God’s timing is always perfect for us. That’s why it’s important to be watchful and waiting in His presence. He knows us more than we often think that we do know ourselves. He will never allow us to get into situations that will do us any harm.
And as long as you are waiting with patience in His presence, He will prepare you for anything that the devil may be planning ahead of you.
Remember that Jesus had to wait for the perfect timing of the Father, before starting His ministry on the earth. He grew up in the city of Nazareth, just as many of us have grown up in different communities before getting into the ministry in different places.
As a young man Jesus knew the call of the Father over His life. But He had to wait until His cousin (John the Baptist) was revealed to His world, as the preparer of the way for His manifestation to Israel.
The scriptures had to be fulfilled in John the Baptist, for Jesus to be manifested to the world. It was not until after being water baptized by John, that He received the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16).
Power came upon Jesus to accomplish what He had been waiting for after this encounter with John. That was the perfect timing of the Father for His manifestation to Israel. He had waited for it long enough.
Thirty years was a long time to wait, but He knew that it was the perfect timing of God. Jesus waited, because He knew that He had to be in harmony with the Father and His timing.
The Bible says after His encounter with John:
“Now Jesus, full of [and in perfect communication with] the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they ended, He was hungry.”
Luke 4:1-2 AMP
By watching and waiting for the perfect timing of the Father, Jesus positioned Himself in perfect communication with the Holy Spirit, during His encounter with John. He needed to have waited that long, so that the Holy Spirit could start leading and directing Him, to do all that He did on the earth.
Jesus learnt to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, just as we often have to wait for His perfect timing in all things. The Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days during the time of His temptation.
You also may have to encounter enemies all around you. But remember that just as the temptation was not easy for Him, yours may not be easy also.
Jesus never promised you that the Christian life will be easy. In fact, He said:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV
It’s interesting to see here that even the devil knows the effect of proper timing. He had to wait for forty days, so that Jesus would be very hungry before tempting Him.
But Jesus was well prepared for him. He knew that He had to pass the temptation which Adam and Eve had failed. And at the end of it all, the scriptures say:
“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding regions. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.”
Luke 4:14-15 NKJV
His ministry fully began as He emerged from the temptation. He was full of the power of the Holy Spirit because He had waited for the perfect timing of the Father.
God’s timing exempts no one!
As Paul said:
“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
Galatians 4:4-5 NKJV
Everything about the ministry of Jesus as the Son of Man on the earth, had to do with the perfect timing of the Father. And we are without any exception also.
Everything with God has its own timing element (see Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). And His timing is always perfect. God is always on time and on target in everything that He does. That’s why we are to always wait on Him.
Some had not waited for their perfect timing, and that’s why they had made a wreck of their faith in the calling of the Lord over their lives.
Our own timing of things is always wrong, because we are always looking at things from what we are seeing on the earth.
But in the timing of God, He sees us in His eternal purpose for the salvation of the world. We are part of God’s big puzzle to save the world. And that’s why we have to be waiting on Him.
If you want to be in harmony with the Lord in the things that He has committed into your hand, waiting is very important before Him (Amos 3:3).
Our ability to wait marks us out as the legitimate children of God.
Oftentimes those who can’t wait are just being disobedient to the Lord. They want things done in their own way. But a Christian with the heart of a servant will always wait.
As Jesus said:
“And be like men who are waiting for their master to return home from the marriage feast, so that when he returns from the wedding and comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately.”
Luke 12:36 AMPC
Are you prepared to open your heart for the Lord when He knocks?
The Body of Christ today is waiting on the Lord Jesus to return. How are you waiting?
Are you watching while waiting? Or are you waiting without being prepared for Him?
Choose to wait on Him, even as you watching for His return!
