“And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.” (Jer. 42:7)
What a blessing it is to pray and see the answer to that prayer come immediately. That is not always the case, though. Jeremiah prayed and it was “ten days” before God answered him. Sometimes we pray and there seems to be NO immediate answer; it is as if God is silent. What should you do when this happens?
FIRST—Remember your prayer has been heard.
Just because there is not an immediate response doesn’t mean your prayer wasn’t heard. God heard you the first time you prayed.
SECOND—Don’t stop praying.
Don’t get discouraged and quit praying just because you don’t see the answer right away. God may be testing you to see how serious you are about your request. When a child asks for a certain toy every day, multiple times a day, you know that is a true desire of their heart. God may be waiting to see if your prayer is a true desire of your heart.
THIRD—Sometimes the answer isn’t denied, only delayed.
God may be delaying the answer in order to grow your faith, or to grow some character quality in you that may be lacking.
FOURTH—Remember, there is a spiritual warfare going on.
Often, prayers are not denied by God but they may be hindered by Satan. Daniel prayed a prayer that took 21 days to get answered because Satan withstood the angel of God from delivering an answer to him. So, sometimes the silence in your prayer life is because of a spiritual warfare taking place.
Don’t give up! Don’t get discouraged! Keep praying even when you feel that nothing is being accomplished in your prayer life. Soon the answer will come!