From Death to Life: How God Works in Prayer

John 12:24: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."

1 Corinthians 15:36: "Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies."

I've learned recently about one of God's methods in prayer. Sometimes He says no to one request, so that He can later say yes to another. The message is basically "wait." God waits for hope to die, for a moment of total darkness. Then suddenly, a miracle! Life!

This is what God did with Abraham and Sarah. He waited until their bodies were "dead" so he could give them a son Isaac -- supernaturally. He did the same with Zechariah and Elizabeth, waiting until they were too old in order to give them John --supernaturally. Israel had to wait 400 years between the Testaments -- a time of silence, a written blackout -- for Jesus the Messiah to arrive. It was also a spiritually and financially dark time for Israel. Jesus waited until Lazarus had been dead four days so he could come and bring him back to life. Why four days? Because Jewish tradition said that after four days your body was in Sheol and couldn't come back. By bringing Lazarus back from the dead, Jesus proved he was Lord over the grave. The best example of course is Jesus's own death on the cross. The disciples and women waited three days and three nights for Jesus to come out of the tomb alive.

Why does God wait for death -- physical, emotional, and spiritual? Why does he wait for the valley and the desert? The reason is that when the miracle comes, everyone knows and sees that it truly is a miracle. God gets all the glory, not man. It's almost like He's showing off!

If you're an obedient Christian in a spiritual valley or desert today, know that God hasn't abandoned you. He's saying no to one request so he can say yes to another. God is also waiting for the right time to do this. And he knows when it's the right time, not you. Your miracle will come. And when it does, give God (not man) all the glory and honor and praise!