I don’t believe there is a such thing as a delayed prayer. In our fallible minds prayers might seem delayed when they are not answered immediately, but God is always on time. We worry so much about our timing that we forget about God’s timing.
God is not like man. What we deem to be long is a short time for God. 2 Peter 3:8 “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
There have been times in my life where God gave me a promise. The promise was so supernatural and direct that I knew it was from Him.
God told me He would answer my prayer, but He didn’t deliver me overnight. It took some time, but God didn’t delay. To Him years are like days. God answered at the right time.
If He would have answered sooner I would have been in deep trouble. God saw things that I did not see and He allowed me to learn things that I would not have learned if I didn’t wait.
God gave Sarah a promise, but guess what? It took a while before He carried out that promise. I believe the greatest blessings in life are the ones that you have been praying over for years. Usually the longer the wait the greater something becomes.
You wait years to graduate and get a diploma. You wait years to get a promotion. Sarah waited years for a child and it wasn’t a regular child that God gave her. God gave her a godly son by the name of Isaac. God chose to continue the line of Christ the Messiah through Isaac. Extraordinary things take time to prepare.
Why hasn’t God answered our prayers yet?
There are a plethora of reasons for trials, tribulations, and unanswered prayers. Sometimes we have to admit that we don’t know the exact reason that God hasn’t answered yet. However, who says we have to know? Proverbs 3:5 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
Sometimes we feel like, “God if you can really change my situation in a moment, then why not do it?” In our minds, we force God to prove Himself. Instead, I believe we should rejoice. One of the greatest blessings of this world as a believer is to realize that we are in the hands of Almighty God. God is in control and when you rest fully upon Him you will be at peace and you will feel secure.
There is a reason that Jesus says, “be still.” Stop worrying I am here. Stop striving to get through this on your own. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. “Be still!” These are two of the most powerful words in the Bible because they emphasize so many things. Jesus gives us life in abundance John 10:10, but when you set your minds on the problem rather than the solution which is Christ it’s hard to live an abundant life. John 10:10 is referring to spiritual abundance not material abundance. It is referring to the peace, joy, and love found in Christ.
God has something better.
One day I went to the grocery store. I looked around for a parking spot and there it was. As I was getting ready to enter the parking spot an old woman came and parked her SUV in the parking spot that I was getting ready to take. I was irate! I can’t believe she took my parking spot. After she snagged my parking spot from me, I went around to find an empty spot.
Lo and behold I found a better spot than the previous one. I found a spot that was closer to the entrance of the grocery store. This might have seemed like a meaningless pointless story to some people but God showed me something immediately after I parked. I was angry and disappointed because it took me a while to park my car. However, when I finally did park I found something better.
Sometimes God has something better in store for you but you have to be patient until the time is right. Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Sometimes God desires to give you more than what you have been praying for. 1 Kings 3:13 “I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days.”
We are always in a rush to make things happen that we can miss out on the blessings of God. Most of us have a story similar to my parking lot story. Something that seemed like a delay turned out to be better for you. Jesus tells us that sometimes we won’t understand. John 13:7 “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
God has heard your prayers
Sometimes God has answered the prayer already but you don’t see the answer in the way that you wanted to or sometimes He is aligning everything perfectly at His pace. Isaiah 65:24 “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” At just the right time everything will come together. Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Though He may seem silent God is always at work fighting on our behalf. Exodus 14:14 “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” There is always something to learn from your wait. Learn not to rush God while He is working. Learn to praise Him when the answer is nowhere in sight. Learn to grow in your intimacy with Christ. Learn to enjoy the Lord. Learn to hear the voice of God. Lastly, know that God knows what is best.
Sometimes as believers God is going to take us through difficult roads to work through us and to work in us. No matter how hard it is, continue to trust in Him. No matter how hard it is, continue to pray and remember to pray these words, God your will be done!
