Pushing Buttons

“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1 NLT

Imagine this: you are sitting in your car waiting at a red light. You look around and notice some pedestrians approaching the corner. One pushes the “walk” sign button once. Another person prepares to cross in the other direction and pushes the control button several times. Which one will get the “walk” sign first?

Or, this: you step up to an information desk and read the sign, “Ring the Bell For Service.” How many times do you need to “ring” it before the clerk appears to assist you?

Do we get a faster response by pushing the button more frequently? In some cases, yes; when expecting a person to respond. However, if the multiple rings sound demanding, the clerk may get angry and may not be very helpful. In other cases, no; one touch is enough for an electronic response, for instance, on cell phones, keyboards, and security keypads. And crossing the street? One push is all it takes. That immediately sends an electrical impulse to the timer mechanism and lets it know to put the “walk” sign on when the light changes, at its programmed time. Pushing the “walk” button several times does NOT make the light turn sooner! Frequently, response time from a machine is predictable, whereas, from a person, it is not.

As I reached out to push yet another button today, I thought about the speed at which God answers prayer in response to the repetition of our requests. How does the speed of His response compare to people and electronics? First, I looked to the Bible for answers, finding many verses on prayer, some instructional and, others, actual prayers. There are short prayers (Nehemiah 5:19) and long prayers (John 17). Prayers for provision (Psalm 23), guidance (Psalm 25:4, 5), and protection (Ps 64). Prayers for others (Ephesians 1:15-23) and for self (Eph 6:20). Prayers for wisdom (1 Kings 3:9) and salvation (Ps 106:4). And prayers of confession (2 Samuel 24:10, Ps 51). Verses also instruct us to: “Keep on praying” (I Thessalonians 5:17) and “don’t babble” (Matthew 6:7); pray by yourself (Matt 6:6) and pray in groups (Acts 1:14). Sometimes the examples and instructions seem contradictory, but with further study, one learns that there is a time and place for each method of prayer.

Next, I remembered my own experience with God answering my prayers. The other day I had a time for a ‘bullet prayer’ (a very quick short one). I was at the library reading microfilms, looking for a name on a ship’s passenger list for our family history project. It is very tedious work and hard on the eyes – always scanning the pages right to left as they move across the screen. I had come to the end of the reel without finding the name but I had other evidence convincing me that it must be on this particular reel. With a sigh, I decided to have another look and prayed: “please let me find this name.” I started fast reversing, stopping every now and again, looking to get back to the place where I thought the name should be. And – there it was! The reel stopped right on the page with the name I was looking for! Hooray! Thank you, God, for such a quick response! I only had to ask once. Although it was a small request, God favoured me with His quick reply. Unfortunately, there are other requests I have made for a long time, repeatedly, that have not been answered, yet. For these, I add the prayer of patience!

Finally, I conclude that just as the buttons we push here on earth have different response times, so does God answer our prayers with varying swiftness. He responds according to His will (Matt 6:10) AND to what our heart attitude is (Ps 139:1) for “your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him” (Matt 6:8). Even though God knows what we need, He still wants us to ask so that we may come to know Him better as He reveals His goodness to us through His answers. In this way, we grow to trust and love Him more every day.

Lord, I know that you have the power to answer all our prayers and the wisdom to provide what is right for us. I thank you that you want a relationship with us; that we can ask for what we need and want BUT that you will give us what is best and what fits into your ‘big picture’. Thank you that your responses are not generated mechanically but are sent with love, wisdom, grace and mercy. Help us; help me to accept your timing with appreciation and humility! Amen.