Devotionals – Wheeler_1 Jierette Genetia (ICCS)

Devotionals – Wheeler_1 Jierette Genetia (ICCS)

(This devotional was written by one of our incarcerated students, sharing their faith and study of God’s Word.)

God’s Delays
Have you ever prayed for something and you didn’t get an answer? Or maybe you wouldn’t get it answered the way you thought it would be answered. Did you feel like God didn’t listen or maybe you felt a sting of rejection? Maybe the enemy tried to tell you that God did not care enough to answer you.

That was me 4 years ago, before and after my sentencing. Me and several other women were praying for the minimum time, 5 years. I was praying for God to show my lawyer that I would be one of the few that would get the least amount of time. But God did not answer our prayers the way we wanted Him to. As I thought about that time, the Holy Spirit led me to John Chapter 11, the story about Lazarus. In the first few verses, John tells us about Lazarus and his sisters. John tells us that Lazarus was a man Jesus loved, but then Jesus would do something that totally contradicted that statement. In verse 6, John tells us that Jesus waited two more days after He heard that Lazarus was sick. If you are like me, your thinking why would Jesus wait two more days? But Jesus would give His reason behind the waiting. Let’s take a look at what verse 4 says, “This sickness will not end in death, No. it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

The Holy Spirit pointed out to me that the disciples and everyone else there in that moment did not fully understand what Jesus was saying or even what He wanted them to see with His deliberate delay. Just like I did not understand 4 years ago. When we look at the delays we experience in our lives through our human perspective, we lose sight of what God is wanting to do. We put limits on His glory. So church I ask you, how can we show the world around us God’s glory if He answers all of our microwave prayers? If we truly mean, Jesus, You are Lord of {it ends here}

Jessica W.