There are moments when God answers your prayer
exactly the way you imagined it. You prayed.
You believed. It happened, like Jesus speaking,
and the blind eyes opened immediately. Those
moments strengthen our faith because heaven responded
the way we expected. We feel understood, confirmed,
validated. But then, there is another category.
You pray for the blind to see, and instead of
instant sight, God says, go wash in the river.
Now obedience becomes part of the miracle. Process
becomes part of the answer. Delay becomes part
of the design. And this is where we struggle.
Because when God delays or responds differently,
we often think something is wrong. But the truth
is, nothing is wrong with God. It is not God
who needs process, it is us. Sometimes the blessing
you are asking for, if given immediately, would
crush you. Sometimes the platform would expose
your weaknesses. Sometimes the provision would
amplify your immaturity. Sometimes the relationship
would destroy your focus. So God works on you
before He releases it to you. Before entering
a new grade, there is always an exam. In the
same way, before God elevates you to the next
level of your life, there will be a test, a delay,
a refining. Not to punish you, but to prepare
you. The Israelites asked for food in the desert.
God answered, but He didn't give them what they
were expecting. He gave them manna. A raw provision.
It required gathering, grinding, preparation.
Why? Because process teaches value. Effort builds
appreciation. Participation develops maturity.
Faith is not passive. Sometimes faith requires
your obedience, your discipline, your endurance.
Remain faithful. Walk in His presence. Live a
life of sanctification. Pray. Meditate on the
Word. Fear God. Stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
And while you do all of that, do what you can
humanly do, then let God move through it. One
day you will look back and say, it was good that
I was afflicted. Because what felt like delay
was development. What felt like denial was protection.
What felt like silence was preparation. And you
will emerge, not broken, but refined. Not crushed,
but formed. Like a diamond purified under pressure,
stay faithful in the process. The answer is coming
with the strength to sustain it.