God hears your prayers. But are you waiting, trusting, and watching for the hand of God to move?

When we visited Michelle’s home in Togo, West Africa, it was to do a home visit for his girl, sponsored in a Compassion International project. Through the course of the conversation, we discovered Michelle (the sole provider) was unable to work for nine years because of a severe hernia (the size of a football) that had disabled him. When he revealed the mass, we prayed immediately. The passion we felt in prayer caused me to wonder if he might heal instantly - he was not. But God was on the move!

Three days later, we were leaving the country. Claire, who was traveling with us, was abruptly held up with no evidence she was on the flight. While the snafu was being worked out, we decided to sit down and wait in a small concession area rather than head to the gate.

That delay and a few steps away led us to a conversation with a couple heading back stateside. This precious couple was, amazingly enough, part of a small missionary surgical team that performs critical operations in Togo. You guessed it - our calling out to God was not in vain – God was moving.

Four days ago I received word that Michelle has undergone surgery and he’s recovering nicely. Did God hear our prayer? YES! So rejoice with us, Michelle, and his family. But also let this serve as a stark lesson for the prayers you pray. Prayer is not believing for something, it's believing in someone. When you pray believing in God to work, you must watch for how God is moving. Why have such faith? Because Jesus made a bold promise, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7

When you pray while clinging to Christ, you remain positioned for his answer. Delays may be his provision – Wait! It may not happen as you would hope – Trust! It may come out of the blue – Watch!