No Digging Here!

God answers prayer! He does! You cannot convince me that He does not. Now, it may not be the way we want Him to—and how often is that the case?—but He answers prayer.

Often, I have prayed for God to move in my life, my family, and my church. I see in my mind’s eye how God can answer that prayer without discomfort for me. Sure, it may be uncomfortable for others, but not me. We ask God to move mountains, heal the sick, and raise the dead. We want Him to open blind eyes and bring in the provision that is much needed. We pray and then sit back and wait for God to move.

What we don’t count on is the mountain He begins with in our living room.

Yes, we pray and look for God to bring the answers from afar and to bless us, but to do that, He has to start where the problem is rooted. That field of roots is usually our hearts, our homes, and yes, our bank accounts.

I recently had been praying about something that needed God to move. Only He could do it. When the dust got stirred up, the lightning struck, and the stampede of spiritual cattle made their way through my life, I knew right away where God was starting to answer my prayer. It isn’t fun, but if we do not resist, it is life-giving. I have said for a long time that truth never hangs out on the surface. It is deep, hidden many times in our hearts under hurt.

I was watching a documentary on tunnel digging in Europe. They showed this huge machine that cut through rock and dirt over miles and miles. At one point, they opened a hatch door to inspect the front of the machine churning through the dirt and rock like butter. What caught my attention was what the narrator said while looking through the hatch: “What you see is dirt that has never been seen before by man.” That caught my attention.

There was material that was hidden, and unless there had been a plan for a tunnel, it never would have been exposed.

When God begins to dig to answer our prayers, this is where many start to put up signs that say, “No Digging Here!” We would rather live with the lie of the enemy than experience the pain of the truth that is being exposed. I have had God show up with His excavators many times in my life. I can honestly say I do not like it when they arrive. I know what is next. Something that is hidden is about to come to the surface, and it’s going to hurt for a bit. The boulder of bad things needs to be removed. The dirt of discouragement needs to be plowed up and replaced.

Many will run from this process. It is better—or, as I have heard others say, “easier”—just to avoid it. Oh, what a blessing they are missing.

Jesus refers to this in Luke 8:17. What is hidden will be brought to light.

Maybe you are reading this, and you know exactly what I am referring to. God has shown up close to home, and it hurts. If that is the case, keep inviting the trucks to show up to the project in your heart and home. Trust God to reveal and remove what will eventually bring clarity, blessing, and healing. Allow Him to get to that hurt of the past and bring light to what has been buried. He is the God of answered prayer.