WHY IS GOD TAKING SO LONG?
By Wanda
Alger
The
Lord’s promise that I am standing on with unwavering faith is that He will
execute justice on the works of darkness and deliver this nation from those who
oppose Him. He has spoken to His prophets, millions of intercessors, and
countless believers across the world that THIS is His time for righteous rulers
to come forth and displace the wicked!
And yet, the longer that time passes…this
promise seems delayed.
We’ve been expecting breakthroughs at
various points in the journey, and the goalpost continues to move. It’s getting harder to hang on
to hope that anything is going to change. Do we take this as a sign of a
false word or fleshly dream? Do we assume it’s not His time after all? Or, is
it possible that His word is simply being delayed?
In Matthew 24:45-51, Jesus told
His followers to be ready for His return. Though they didn’t know the time or
hour, they were commissioned to be faithful stewards of His word and occupy
until. Referring to the days of Noah, He insinuated that many hearts would grow cold when not
seeing the fulfillment of prophetic words (“Rain? What rain!?”) In 2
Peter 3, we are reminded of the power of God’s WORD that overrides
circumstances, time tables, and human expectations. Regardless of outer appearances, if God says it,
God will do it. Period.
A similar promise is given in Ezekiel
12:21-27:
The word of the LORD came
to me: “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: ‘The
days go by and every vision comes to nothing’? Say to them, ‘This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no
longer quote it in Israel.’ Say to them, ‘The days are near when every vision
will be fulfilled. For there will be no more false visions or flattering
divinations among the people of Israel. But I the LORD will speak what I will,
and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious
people, I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
As the prophet says in Habakkuk 2:3, For
still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not
lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not
delay. Even so, it’s hard to wait! Because we begin to wonder. And
yet, if we can lean into His word, the breakthrough may be just around the
corner. Ralph Waldo Emerson
once said, "A man is not a hero because he is braver than anyone
else, but because he is braver ten minutes longer." Sounds almost
biblical.
Another interesting passage that speaks
about delay and our tendency to act prematurely is found in Exodus 32. It is
here that Moses has already led the Israelites out of bondage from Egypt, but
they haven’t entered the promised land yet. They are wandering in the
wilderness when Moses is called away. Their inability to wait cost them dearly.
When the people saw that
Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves
together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As
for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not
know what has become of him.” So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of
gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and
bring them to me.”
When Moses was called up the mountain to
receive the tablets of the law from the Lord, he told the people that he would
return. But evidently, he did not say exactly when. They never dreamed it would
take so long. Due to their impatience, they quickly turned back to the gods of
their past and, as a result, lost their true inheritance.
Numerous
prophets have had dreams and visions of President Trump being likened to Moses
– a deliverer of people. Obviously, Jesus is our
only Savior and Redeemer, and no one will ever compare to Him or His place in
the redemption story. And yet, throughout history God has used significant change agents on the earth
for significant times. But, even as the Lord has removed President Trump for a
time, we cannot merely wait for him to return. Our job is to put our trust in
the Lord and in His promise to bring supernatural turnarounds.
Sometimes,
the delays of promises are due to enemy interference (1 Thessalonians 2:18). There’s no doubt that those who
oppose the ways of God are delaying the inevitable for as long as possible.
Those who have sided with an anti-God, anti-faith system know they’ve lost.
They know the consequences of their actions and will do anything they can do
delay their destruction. This is why we must be steadfast in our prayers
and in our declarations of God’s word so that HIS judgments can be rendered
quickly.
Because the sentence
against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man
is fully set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs
his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they
fear before him. (Ecclesiastes 8:11-12)
I truly believe that heaven has all the
proof needed to render just decisions on the earth. We simply need to stand in
agreement with the courts of heaven and declare God’s righteous reign upon the
earth (see Luke 18:7-8).
Here are some additional scriptures to
declare as we stand in faith for God’s promises to be brought forth
speedily! Declare them out loud and
share them to encourage others.
Psalm
37:32-34
The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. The LORD
will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to
trial. Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the
land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
Psalm
10:15-18
Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account
till you find none. The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from
his land. O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen
their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the
oppressed, so that man who
is of the earth may strike terror no more.
Psalms
34:21-22
Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be
condemned. The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take
refuge in him will be condemned.
Psalms
94:20-23
Can wicked rulers be
allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? They band together
against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the
LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. He will bring
back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD
our God will wipe them out.
Isaiah
26:11-13
O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your
zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume
them. O LORD, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all
our works. O LORD our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your
name alone we bring to remembrance.
Malachi
4:1-3
For behold, the day is
coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be
stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of
hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear
my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You
shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the
wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I
act, says the Lord of hosts.
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