Calm and Quiet

Is there anything sweeter than a mother with her newborn baby? He cuddles up as close as he can and she keeps him warm and secure. The little guy doesn’t have a care in the world and you can see the love in Mom’s face as she kisses his precious face.

Learning to Take No for an Answer

Babies become toddlers eventually, however, and they have to learn how to wait for things. They no longer get milk on demand and they need patience when they have to wait for snacks and meals.

The little fella in this picture is now five years old and yesterday when I visited him, I found him fretting over his Halloween candy. It was all poured out on the carpet and he sat looking forlornly at it. Mom said he could have four pieces for the day, but he gobbled them up first thing in the morning, and then watched as his older brother and sister selected one piece at a time and savored each piece slowly through the day.

He knew that complaining was not an acceptable response, so he just sighed and gazed longingly at the candy. Today he is probably more careful about his candy choices. He’s learning that mom and dad are more interested in developing his character than giving in to his demands.

Growing Up

God knows we all have to grow up, learn patience and develop character. He often gives us what we cry for when we are new to the faith, but later he teaches us the grace of waiting.

When I was a younger Christian I prayed some really big prayers–for desperately needed money to pay the bills, or when one of our sons needed healing from a serious illness. I prayed for everything I could think of and when God said yes to many of those prayers, I was really encouraged to keep on praying.

No for an Answer?

Later in life I found myself praying about some other difficult problems and instead of the miracles I hoped for, God actually said no to my prayers.  I had some sleep-shattering, soul-shaking nights when I prayed and it seemed like God didn’t hear me.

Actually, I knew he heard me, but he didn’t answer the way I wanted him to.

Then, one restless night, I opened my Bible and read Psalm 131:1-2:

My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.

I have calmed and quieted myself like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child I am content.

I didn’t feel calm and quiet that night; I wanted to argue with God when I asked him to make things better, and when he didn’t do it. I cried and complained like an unhappy toddler who feels sorry for herself.

Words from the Psalm challenged me . . . “proud, haughty, concerning myself with great matters and things too wonderful for me” . . . I knew these words described me.

Did I really think I was I smarter than God?

Here I was, pretending to be the expert on “great matters and things to wonderful for me” that only God could understand. There were so many things I didn’t know about the situation, I had to leave it all in God’s hands.

Calm and Quiet

God expected me to be a mature believer when he didn’t give in to my demands. He expected me to receive his “no” as an answer, and quiet myself like a weaned child with its mother, not complaining and arguing with him anymore. It meant accepting his will.

The surprising key to all of this was gratitude.

When I stopped complaining and remembered who I was talking to, I realized how wonderful the Lord is to me. I remembered his power and love shown throughout my life.

Mature believers don’t pray about candy, they pray about life and death situations. They pray against the evil in the world and sometimes it’s a struggle as they wait quietly for the answers from God, but this is what develops their character.

Unanswered prayers are not unheard prayers. God is at work, let’s learn to wait quietly for him.