Deists believe that creation proves the existence of God, yet they assert that God has left this marvelous and interdependent creation to manage itself.

How involved has God been with humanity since its creation? Is He actively involved in what is going on? Or has He left things to work themselves out?

If God delays in answering a sincere prayer, His purpose is to increase faith, as in the case of His delay in providing Abraham with a son through Sarah.

For prayer to be successful, our petitions must be specific and synchronized to God's will, but we must patiently and humbly accept God's timetable.

The discipline of waiting is on the same level as the other spiritual disciplines, requiring substantial admixtures of faith and hope, building endurance.

Because we act on what we believe, any affront to our belief system will alter our choices and behavior, placing us on a destructive trajectory.

Constant, earnest prayer keeps faith alive and makes certain the receiving of the qualities that make us in the image of God. God's purpose comes first.

Persistence in prayer does not mean an incessant pestering God into action. God always looks at our petitions from the vantage-point of His purpose.

The church may fear that the Lord is delaying His coming, and scoffers make the seeming delay worse. However, God is giving people opportunity for repentance.

Because God has demonstrated incredible longsuffering with our shortcomings, we should similarly exercise forbearance to those who have offended us.