DELAYED BUT DEFINITE

Daniel 10:13 “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.”

Mankind has the propensity to endeavor to work out his own problems. Rather than "Pray and Wait" our life’s motto seems to be "Pray and Work", or in the case of some "Pray and Whine". We often take a lack of immediate response from God as a sign that God is either not listening, or not caring.

Our scripture tells us that Daniel had been given a series of visions regarding the end of the world as we know it. And, as is often the case the visions were not easily or readily understood. So, Daniel began to fast and pray to the Lord regarding the significance of these visions. Eventually, God sent an angel to Daniel who said "I am here to tell you what is written in the ’Book of the Future’..." (v. 11) But there was a waiting period between Daniel’s prayer and the answer. The passage tells us it was 21 long days.

If there is anything of which I am sure, it is that God has an ultimate plan for our lives. Even when the answer seems to be delayed, it is for a purpose. We must walk with in faith and understand that not even our greatest adversary can frustrate the will and plan of God. Why, then does God permit the delay? Why not simply render the opposing forces powerless? Why not set up a "hot line" from heaven to earth, whereby we can achieve instantaneous results?

Waiting is often very difficult. I had some great friends recently that received a negative (yet inconclusive) report on the health of their son. Additional tests were scheduled but were several weeks away. Then they had to wait even longer for the results of the test. My heart ached with them as they just waited for an answer. I know them well. They prayed and their faith was amazing. The waiting was still very difficult. In the end, God proved to be as faithful as ever.

Though it may be hard to believe, there are positive aspects to waiting. It causes us to mature in the faith. It brings patience. It will help develop confidence in God. Thank God that he does not offer instantaneous answers to all prayers we pray. If he did, we would be in a mess. Never forget that only God knows the beginning from the end of our lives. Some things that we may desperately want today could lead to disaster tomorrow. Sometimes, his mercy can be found in a delayed response to our prayers

Someone asked the question "If God knows what I have need of before I ever ask, why must I ask?" The response was "Because God knows what we need the most is time spent with him in prayer."

God’s ultimate plan for our life is that we wait patiently and confidently upon him. We must be as Paul, when he wrote in Romans 4:21 "And being fully persuaded that, what he has promised, he is able also to perform." Be on guard of your heart so that you never call into question the integrity of God. He has promised it --- he will bring it to pass. It may be delayed, but it is definite.