Your delay doesn’t mean God’s denial.     Trust Him.

This isn’t a devotional about a slow God. It’s about our impatience.

We tend to treat everything in our lives as broken pipes and God as a 24/7 plumber with an open schedule and a very fast van!

And what is your story? Does God jump when you snap your finger? Almost never, right? And why is that?

Is God too busy?

Is He having to search for the answer … the right parts?

Does He know something we don’t?

Are some answers better or more appropriate if delayed?

Is there something at stake more than our leaking pipe?

A good deal of walking obediently with God demands us sorting out those questions. He’s never too busy or needing to Google an answer. And there are always things we don’t know and always more at stake than the water drip under the sink.

The prophet Samuel is tasked with finding and anointing Israel’s next king. In I Samuel 16 we find this story. He works his way down Jesse’s sons from oldest to youngest and God nods in David’s direction. Here’s how this part of the story ends: “And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.” Verse 13 New Living Translation.

But from that occasion to actually ascending to the throne took 17 long years. God was ready … David was not. Every delay, obstacle and heartbreak during those years got David ready to be the king that Israel loved.

God called Moses to help free his people from Egypt’s domination. It took 40 years of desert preparation because although God had it all together … Moses needed the time.

So, what’s going on in your life that may be causing a delay to your prayer? You don’t know? You’re not alone. You’re a believer who as yet doesn’t know why your prayer hasn’t been answered.

But a believer is a believer because he believes some important things. He believes that God knows – He loves – He has a plan for us that is good and gives us hope and a future. And because of that he is willing to quit tapping his foot in frustration and rolling his eyes heavenward.

There is a discipline in delay, a lesson in waiting, a hidden answer waiting to be revealed. Trust God’s character and his timing. Quit scowling and let your face reflect a heart of anticipation and thanksgiving.

“And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God

and are fitting into his plans.” Romans 8:28 Living Bible