Never read a delay as a defeat, just as you should never think that because you have prayed and the Lord has not answered that He is giving you a final no. The no may be a temporary no and not a permanent no. When Moses cried out for God to heal Miriam of leprosy, the Lord immediately said no - not at that moment, but she was healed seven days later in order to follow a pattern of the law and teach the outspoken sister of the prophet Moses to henceforth restrain herself from making careless comments (See Numbers 12).
Some delays are actually seasons of preparation to get the junk out of us so the Lord can get His direction in us! We are not always ready to do God's will when we think we are. One of the greatest dangers in ministry is when a minister or even a church thinks they have arrived and have all of the answers. As long as the fruit on a tree is green, it will grow, but if it keeps hanging on after it matures, it can eventually turn rotten. If we maintain a teachable spirit in the process of moving toward the favor of God, we will always learn and step up to the next level of revelation for God's kingdom. Once we think that we have arrived, we can become stagnate.
When Bathsheba and David's illegitimate son was born, he was stricken with a sickness. David spent seven days with his face on the ground in intercession asking God to heal the child, but that's not the end of the story. Bathsheba became pregnant with a second son of David's, who was named Solomon, meaning "peaceful" and "loved of the Lord" (II Sam. 12:24). The sorrow of one son's early death was replaced by the joy of another son's birth. Solomon would become one of the Bible's wisest men and the builder of the most magnificent temple in Israel's history!
Not every road is straight. There will be potholes, roadblocks, and detours on the journey. This is because you must deal with people when you pursue your dreams. You will need other people to help you accomplish your dreams. Always remember that people will never understand what you are sensing in the same way that you do. They will not have the same burden for the ministry that God has called you to carry and birth. This wisdom will save you years from wondering why others are not as thrilled as you are about your baby (ministry).
Comments
A delay in a dream or vision will cause a person to exercise patience in waiting for the event to occur. In the Bible, faith and patience are the two power twins that keep a believer from becoming weary and faint in his or her spirit while anticipating the prayer to be answered or the event to come to pass. As it is written:
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:11-12).
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise (Hebrews 10:35-36).
Remember, a delay is not a defeat. Being patient (having long endurance) is a part of the faith walk. In the end, what God has revealed will come to pass, and usually it happens very quickly.