When God, When?
For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.
2 Corinthians 1:20
Do you sometimes wonder WHEN God’s promises will manifest in your life?
Yes, Delays are a strategic tactic of the devil. It’s during the delays that he seeks to fill our mind with doubt. He wants you to ever so slowly lose your trust in God’s willingness to answer your prayer. He wants you to become hopeless, thinking that things will never happen for you. But if you seriously have it in you, you won’t give up. There will be tough times only to make you tougher, that’s what I have been through. Delayed but not denied, for I know ‘God never delays his promise’ and the setbacks have refined my strategies.
The devil wants us to believe that God’s promises are not true. He wants us distracted, stressed out, and anxious about our future rather than resting in knowing that God’s promises are true for each one of us.
When we look up and see Jesus in the midst of our situation, we see more clearly that He is right there with us. He’s loves you and me and wants to give us the desires of our heart.
In Daniel’s case, when he looked up and saw God’s messenger, the messenger acknowledged, “I have come in response to your words” (Daniel 10:12 NASB). He said he had been dispatched to bring the answer as soon as God heard Daniel’s request.
What had caused the delay?
It wasn’t anything that Daniel had done. It wasn’t anything God had done. Evil spiritual forces had interrupted the dispatch and caused the delay. Have any of us considered that spiritual forces are causing the delay in the manifestation of God’s promise in our life?
The delay is meant to make us give up, to become hopeless, and to no longer expect that God’s promises will come to pass in our life. And we know, that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). A delay is not denial, but a time of preparing you for the promise. It is very hard when we cannot “see” God in action. But that doesn’t mean He isn’t acting on our behalf.
Has God given you a promise that has yet to be fulfilled? Perhaps, while reading the Bible, a verse lit up. You blinked, having never really noticed before; the words jumped off the page and pierced your heart. Or maybe you received a specific answer to a request while you were praying.
But then nothing happened. In fact, your circumstances turned for the worse. Did you misinterpret God’s intentions? Was it all in your head? Where are the promised blessings?
God gave Joseph, the son of Jacob, (see Genesis 37-48) a promise that one day he would rule. But then, for the next thirteen years everything went exactly opposite to the promise. His brothers, who hated him, sold him to the Egyptians. As a slave in Potiphar’s house, he was falsely accused of raping his master’s wife. Then he was thrown into prison and forgotten.
Joseph refused to let his circumstances shape his outlook. He allowed no self-pity or bitterness to rob him of energy. Instead, he chose to use each circumstance ― whether at home, at Potiphar’s house, or in prison ― as God’s appointed place where he would serve him with all of his heart. God eventually blessed Joseph and made him a blessing to others.
Instead of using the delayed promise as a reason to grumble against God, Joseph kept it in the back of his mind to give him courage and strength. He let go of expectations of how and when God would carry out the promise. In the meantime, God was up to something much bigger than he could have imagined. In time – God’s time! – Joseph’s life changed. His wisdom and loyalty was recognized. Eventually he became Pharaoh’s right-hand man, the second in command over all of Egypt. In this role, Joseph ended up saving the lives of his whole family and became reunited with them. He also saved most of Egypt from starvation.
God has a good plan for our lives also. They may not be as grand as that of Joseph, but God has a purpose for each of us: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). These are not just words written down for people thousands of years ago. They resonate with us today. God’s promise is real in any age and time. We might have to wait for that promise to come to fruition, though.
Trust Him even when life doesn’t make sense. There is a purpose in what you are going through. Perhaps God is trying to correct your course. It could be that He is using these trials to teach you to lean more on Him, trust His timing, and strengthen your faith. You may be going through this because how you respond may influence others in their decisions to follow Christ. It is possible that wading through all of this mess in your life will help you lead someone else through a similar circumstance later on. Like Joseph, we may not see the purpose for our struggles until much later. But also like him, we should remain faithful and trust that God knows what is happening.
God may seem silent but that doesn’t mean he has walked away. He is actually at work in the background. Like a building coming up behind a wall, we can’t always see the progress. But that doesn’t mean nothing is happening. God’s good plan is being carried out and this set of circumstances is needed to prepare you for those plans. As Joseph’s life points out, even tragedy and evil can be part of God’s plan for good.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for sending this much-needed word to remind me that delay is not denial, and You will show up mightily in my circumstances. I praise You for confirming that You have heard my prayer and will manifest the answers I have been desperately waiting to receive. In the meantime, I will continue to trust You and hold fast to Your promises, for You are ever faithful and true. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Closing Thought God is never too early; He’s never too late; He’s always on time! His delays are not denials.
Sol. Fiona