Most believers do not know what it means to wait on the Lord for an answer if they have prayed and asked Him for something. The reason why they do not know how to wait on the Lord and to expect Him to answer their prayer is because they do not really believe that He is alive, that He hears their prayers and that He will answer. They do not really believe.
The apostle James wrote in James chapter 1 verse 5, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him, But we must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” If we do not go to Jesus in prayer believing and expecting that our prayer will be answered, we will receive nothing. We also read in Hebrews chapter 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Many people say that they have prayed and they asked Jesus for the Holy Spirit and they have not received it. They ask, how long must they wait after they have prayed. We read what Jesus said to His disciples in Acts chapter 1:4 “for He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which ,” He said “you heard from Me; for John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Verse 12 “then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city they went into the upper room where they were staying; that is Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the woman, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.’
They were continually devoting themselves to prayer, waiting expectantly praying, they did not go away. They waited, they waited expectantly and then we read in acts chapter 22 verse 1, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place, and suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” They were expectantly waiting and praying and then they received the gift that God had promised the infilling with the Holy Spirit. They were not just having fellowship, sitting around having coffee, having a good time like they would have today at church, just being with Christian friends watching television drinking coffee, eating doughnuts, having a good time, a good old party. No, they came together you pray to wait on the Lord and then they received what He promised.
If we go to God we must go in faith, we must believe that He IS, we must have our focus on Him and we must pray with a serious heart or else we will receive nothing. When I first realized that Jesus Christ wants to speak to us, wants to speak to me, He said:”My sheep listen to My voice and they follow Me,” I said Lord, speak to me, I want to hear Your voice, and I set my mind on hearing from God. I went alone and I prayed. I said lord I don’t want to eat, I don’t want to drink, I don’t want to read the Bible, I don’t want to hear from anybody else, I want to you from You and I waited on Him. I prayed and He answered me, He spoke to me.
If we want to hear from Jesus we have to believe that He exists; we have to go to Him in faith expectantly and wait on Him. If we pray and we ask Him for something we must not give up, we must go with a mind of receiving, with a mind of believing and we must stay focused on him expectantly and not give up, because if we do not believe, if we are not willing to wait on Him until he gives what we asked, if we are not patiently waiting on Him expectantly; we will receive nothing!
People ask how long do you have to pray? How long do you have to wait? You have to wait UNTIL you receive. You have to expectantly wait until He answers your prayer, until he gives you what you asked for. But if you give up then you will receive nothing, if you are not serious you will receive nothing.
Do you really believe and are you willing to wait for the answer? If you do, then go to Jesus and He will answer you. If you want guidance and wisdom, pray and ask, and wait until He answers. If you want the baptism in the Holy Spirit, go and pray and wait on Him. Don’t give up, He will answer your prayer and your joy will be full. He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
May Jesus bless you.
finalcall07 