Probably one of the greatest pains or frustrations of many Believers in Christianity today is the ordeal of unanswered prayers or delay in receiving answers to prayers; And though we may find reasons to tag it on, my thought is that in the majority of the cases, God allows it intentionally, and it may not necessarily be due to a lack of faith...
Because from history we learn that often when God answers a prayer, especially prayers that have to do with physical or material things, the tendency of humans is to forget God afterward and turn their passion towards the things, till another need arises then they remember God...
So to keep some of us on track and in the faith, God probably shows us His Fatherly love by not giving us the same things that would pull us away from Him; just as a Father would rather not give his son something that would make him forget his father...
Think about it!
The Israelites of Old were in slavery for hundreds of years, they kept crying to God for help, then God heard and brought them out miraculously; And then shortly after God delivered them (even amidst the signs and wonders they saw God perform), they still turned and made an idol out of the same gold which the Egyptians gave them because of the favour of God...
Isn't the story similar to what it is for many of us today?
We ask God to bless us with a job, a wife/husband, a baby, a car, a house, or something; He answers our prayers by providing, and then we push Him aside, and turn the blessing into our idol and object of worship, as the blessing now becomes the reason why our relationship with God suffers...
Sincerely! How many of us continue to worship and seek God as passionately as we did before we received the blessings we prayed to Him for???
You may say, "God, just try me and see if I will change!", or "God I promise if You do this for me, I will love You forever!"; but then God knows each one of us better than we know ourselves, and in His love, He would rather ensure that our hearts remain safe with Him even though it may entail delaying the answer to our prayers...
So for the Israelites, Moses had to keep reminding them as we see in the Scriptures below:
“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage..." Deuteronomy 8:11-14 (NKJV)
And I believe this reminder is much more valid and needful in our world today where many crave the good things of life almost to an unimaginable extent that the relationship many have with God is purely need-driven; where going to God in prayer without a list of the things we need from Him is not considered proper prayer...
Nonetheless, God remains a loving Father to us all and He will keep doing what He knows is best for us even better than a natural father would, and it would be to our best advantage not to force His hands like the Israelites did when they requested for a king against God's perfect will, and He let them have it so they would learn the lesson the hard way...
Other reasons God may delay answers to our prayers are: to train or test our faith in Him, to purify the motives of our hearts, to develop the key virtue of patience in us, or so that we will value the blessing when it finally comes, but of course, not above God...
Please note that I am referring to prayers that actually get to God; because there are prayers we offer that do not even reach God's ears for reasons such as unconfessed sins, unforgiveness, disobedience, and others which are not my focus in this write-up...
Whatever the case, God knows what we do not know and He sees what we do not see, and I do know that it does not give Him joy seeing His children suffer or lack the good things of life. So it is my desire and prayer that God answers all your prayers according to His perfect will, but much more than that, I pray may His blessings not be the reason our hearts stray away from Him Who is supposed to be and remain our First Love...
"And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity." 2 Corinthians 9:8 (AMP)
And whilst we wait for the manifestation of our expectations, do not stop praying and do not stop trusting and believing in the goodness and faithfulness of God, because that's what the Enemy would try to talk you into; Also keep your focus on the things God had done so as to maintain a heart of gratitude because indeed God has done much more than the things we think He has not done.
We also need to believe God when He says He would not let us go through a season of hardship or trial that is beyond what our faith can carry or bear; so regardless of what the situation is, do not give in to the lies of the Enemy, because when your testimony materializes it will silence all accusing voices and wagging tongues of men, and most importantly your testimony would bring great glory to the name of God...
Just as Jesus' delay for four days after the death of Lazarus produced a greater impact than it would have if He had raised him back to life on the same day; please believe and be encouraged that your situation is not unto death but for the glory of God to be revealed through your life; please do not give up!
Thank you for sharing with me!
#JesusChristIsLORD
#GODisStillinCharge
