There are times I have looked to God and questioned why me. He responds with silence and even though I continue to stand at the door and knock, He doesn’t answer. My soul becomes anxious for any kind of response so I resort to promises. If you answer me God, I will read my Bible more, donate more time to the church and the list continues. But my promises do not move God; he remains silent.

In desperation, I begin the process of begging for mercy. I know is absurdly ridiculous, but I do it anyway. God ignores my pleas and the door remains closed and I switch to a pissed-off mode. My ‘why me’ questions now turn to ‘how dare you’ accusations toward God. It doesn’t move God one bit. Overcome with defeat, anger and helplessness, I throw up my hands and shout, “I give up!”

As the words escape my lips a floodgate of hope surges within me. I question why such an intense peace fills my soul and an inaudible voice speaks directly to my heart; the unspoken words pierce my soul.

“I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the LORD; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (CEB)

When I finally gave up, God gave in; and when I did, He opened the door to my cries. Our Redeemer patiently waits for us to completely trust His plan for our life. As we do, God opens new doors of opportunity and points us in the direction of His perfect will for our life.

When you ask God for something, He can only answer one of two ways: “Yes” or “I have something even better in mind.” It’s a waste of time and energy to try and beat down the door, beg or make promises in an attempt to get God to answer. I’ve learned through experience that our waiting is more about acknowledging our need for Him than our need.

God answers us in His time, not ours. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10 (NIV)