When does God delay answers to prayer?
Have you ever thought of the prayers in the Bible that God delayed answering and why he delayed the answer?
1. Daniel 11 – In this case, the delay was a vital part of Daniel’s prophecy. God delayed to confirm that the kingdom of Greece would follow the kingdom of Persia.
2. Matthew 15:23 - We find that Jesus at first did not answer the Syrophoenician woman’s prayer but again there was a purpose. Jesus (as well Matthew and Mark in their gospels) used this situation to show the difference between outward and inner righteousness.
3. Psalm 13, David asks four times, how long? There is no answer given in the Psalm but we do find that David continued to pray anyway and expressed confidence and joy in the Lord because he knew God personally as a merciful God.
4. Psalm 89:46, Ethan also asks “how long” but in this case knows that the reason is based on Israel’s unfaithfulness. See also Deuteronomy 32:19 and Zechariah 1:12ff.
5. Job 13:24, Job expresses in this chapter the same sentiments as David did in Psalm 13 but unlike Ethan in Psalm 89, he is not certain why he is not being heard but is simply speculating.
6. Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 had his answer denied or at least delayed until after his death when his thorn in the flesh certainly was removed. Why? That God’s strength would be made perfect in weakness.
7. Revelation 6:9-11 – The martyred saints’ answer to their prayer is to be delayed until the last saint is martyred.
8. There may be others. Can you think of any?
