When Your Prayers Meet Divine Timing

The Struggle of Waiting

Have you ever found yourself praying, fasting, and hoping for a desire to come to pass, but it seems like nothing is moving? You speak and pray the scriptures with fervor, and you write out your prayers, but weeks turn into months, and still nothing changes. You've received confirmations from Yahuah, and you have no doubt that the Ruach is leading and guiding you. Yet you don't see any visible progress. You wait and wait, but some things in your life seem to get worse or simply refuse to change.

Questions begin to surface: Am I being punished? Is there some grave sin causing this delay? Has Abba Yah stopped hearing my prayers?  Discouragement and doubt creep into your heart. You even begin to question your position as a child of Yah, wondering if anything is working or if things will ever improve. Perhaps this is just your fate.

The Promise That Anchors Us

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Elohim, to them who are the called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28 (KJV)

There are many theories about what may cause delays in answered prayer. But in this reflection, we're going to focus on a divine process that our intelligent, loving Abba Yah allows to benefit us and ensure that all things work together for our good.

The Purpose of Waiting

Abba Yah builds up our spiritual muscle and strengthens our heart by exercising us during the period of waiting on Him. This exercise produces and strengthens our trust, bringing transformation and change through Him.

"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon Adonai shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  Isaiah 40:30-31 (KJV)

Scriptures for the Waiting Season

"Wait on Adonai: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on Adonai."  Psalm 27:14

"Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the Elohim of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day."  Psalm 25:5

"Seek Adonai and his strength, seek his face continually."  1 Chronicles 16:11

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in Elohim: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my Elohim."  Psalm 42:11

What Waiting Reveals

It is during this time of waiting that we learn to truly trust Him. It is also during this season that our hearts are revealed. Our belief system is tested, and motives and impurities from the heart will surface. This is not to harm us or for us to condemn ourselves. Rather, it is the perfect time to deal with the ailments that have floated to the top and take them to Yahshuah, seeking understanding, freedom, deliverance, and healing.

Divine Protection Through Delay

Sometimes we ask for things that are either not in His will, or they're delayed to give us time to spiritually and emotionally mature. Yahuah will not do anything that will bring us harm. Would you give your six-year-old the keys to your car and tell them to drive you to the store? Of course not.

Similarly, you may seek Him for some type of revelation. But He sees that pride is hiding in the crevices of your heart, and if He reveals this thing to you, you'll become puffed up and full of yourself, walking in the opposite direction of the cross. So instead, He allows lessons to come forth to purify your heart. Once He is pleased and the exercise is successful, then He knows He can trust you with it.

Transformation Through Waiting

While waiting on Him, we are empowered by the Ruach HaKodesh as changes take place in our soul: mind, will, and emotion. The mind is where the belief system lies, the will is connected to the ability to be humble and obedient, and our emotions must house balance and self-control.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."  Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)

Our spiritual eyes and ears open, and we become more in tune with His Ruach. We grab onto the evidence of things hoped for and not seen because we choose to operate in the highest level of faith. Our faith grows from "He might" to "I believe He will" to "He can do it" and finally to "It's already done according to His will, not mine."

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

The Foundation: Love and Obedience

With all of this being said, it all comes back to foundational scripture—the reasoning for our existence:

"Hear, O Israel: Adonai our Elohim is one Adonai: And thou shalt love Adonai thy Elohim with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."  Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (KJV)

"And thou shalt love Adonai thy Elohim with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."  Mark 12:30 (KJV)

"And now, Israel, what doth Adonai thy Elohim require of thee, but to fear Adonai thy Elohim, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Adonai thy Elohim with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of Adonai, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?"  Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (KJV)

"But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of Adonai charged you, to love Adonai your Elohim, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."  Joshua 22:5 (KJV)

Embracing the Process

These trials and lessons are designed to craft us into exactly who Yahuah made us to be and to fold our hearts into His—if we allow it to be so. We must remind ourselves that our focus should be His will, not ours, and willingly become Yahuah's billboard to testify of who He is and a shining instrument of His glory.

This doesn't mean we won't experience the emotions behind the pain of the molding. But if we continue to be transparent and honest with Him, He will walk us through it all, every step of the way.

A Prayer for the Waiting Season

Father,

Thank you for your love and for being so present and supportive, helping me submit myself completely to you. Sometimes it hurts, and I don't understand what is going on. But your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I pray for wisdom and clarity of your Word. Help me to focus on You and Your truth, refusing to listen to any voice that is not Yours—even when mine gets too loud.

My heart is Yours. Purge, purify, and renew it. Teach me how to love you and evict the erroneous traditions and teachings of the world. Thank you for the hidden treasures found in my waiting season. I give you all the glory, honor, and praise.

In Yahshua's name, amen.

BBHM