If you’ve ever prayed and then wondered, “Okay, God, where are You? I haven’t heard from You yet,” this brought me some comfort, and I hope it does for you too.
I was reading in Jeremiah this past week, and there is this moment where a group of people comes to Jeremiah with a question for God. Jeremiah was a prophet, so they knew God spoke to him, and they asked him to pray and find out what the Lord wanted them to do.
And then Jeremiah 42:7 says, “After ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.”
Ten days.
That really encouraged me, because sometimes when I pray and I don’t hear an answer right away, I start wondering if something is wrong. Did God hear me? Is He there? Did I do something wrong? Why is it taking so long?
But if Jeremiah, who was close to God and heard from God, still waited ten days for an answer, maybe a delay doesn’t mean something is wrong. Maybe it just means God is going to answer in His timing, not mine.
I don’t always know why God doesn’t answer right away. I don’t know why some prayers seem to take longer than others. But I do know that waiting does not mean He is absent, and silence for a season does not mean He is ignoring you.
Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
That is such a good promise to hold onto.
God doesn’t always answer as quickly as we want Him to, but He does answer. So keep praying. Keep calling on Him. Keep trusting that He hears you, even while you wait.