“Hear my voice when I call O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
Oh Father, thank You that I can know that You do hear me. Sometimes I sing out my praise, or I call out my thanksgiving, or I weep and whisper out my needs. And sometimes my heart is so broken I can only weep. But the Holy Spirit intercedes for me and even the groanings of my heart that cannot be expressed in words are heard.
Thank You that in Your mercy, You answer me every time. I appreciate and love the times Your answer is “yes” and I can see the fruit of my prayers immediately. They are like apples I can see growing and maturing on a tree, right before my eyes.
The buds come, the blossoms open, then the fruit appears, grows and matures while I watch the whole process. With a prayer like this, I can see you at work and be encouraged.
But I understand that at times the answer is “wait.” Then it’s more like growing potatoes. The plant is there and the vine can be seen. But the fruit, the potato, is growing underground and cannot be seen until harvest time. It takes faith to dig up the plant looking for the potatoes underneath.
These are harder prayers because they feel like nothing is happening. The truth is, You are at work answering the prayer, just not in ways visible to the human eye.
And I also must acknowledge that sometimes the answer is “no.” And I have to choose to trust that Your will is best for me, even if I don’t understand it at the time.
Like the Psalmist Lord, I will seek Your face. I will read and study Your Word and apply its lessons and teachings to my life. I will come to You in prayer, allowing time not only for talking, but also listening for what You want to say to me.
I will look for those places where You insert Yourself into my life through scripture, or circumstances; using events or occurrences, contacts or everyday things to speak to me and heighten my awareness of You.
You remind me of Your beauty in a sunset. You make Your sovereignty known when I look at the stars. You reassure me of Your love and care when You have a friend call or pray for me. And these are just some of the ways You communicate with me.
Whether praying apples or potatoes, hearing a “yes” or “no,” I am encouraged with these words of David: “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
And especially for those “potato” prayers, You say “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Father, help me wait and not fall into discouragement, self-pity or giving up. Keep my faith strong and my trust in You solid; so that at the end of the waiting, I will sing of the wonders of the Lord! Amen
Daily Bible Prayer 
What a perfect illustration. Father has really gifted you.
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Thank you but credit for this concept goes to a preacher from when I was a little girl – the idea always stuck with me so I’ve just expanded the logic of it here. God has blessed me with a lifetime of going to church.
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