Jesus said, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name. Ask and you will receive so that your joy may be made full” (John 16:24). It’s the clash of two different expectations regarding the gap between asking and receiving that causes our frustration, often resulting in doubt and hopeless confusion. Some answers come in five minutes producing instant joy. Other answers may not appear for five years, while still others may take fifty, causing some of us to erroneously feel forgotten or like leftovers.

Consider that it is not always about the thing we want God to give us, but instead, what He must prepare before that answer arrives. The cause of delay could very well be us, not God. He will never give us anything that we’re not ready for. We Christians desire people, positions and possessions that we may not be ready for. Consider that our Father is doing a work in us as He is conforming us to the image of His Son, Jesus.

Timing, maturity, ability, other people and experiential knowledge all have to be in order before some requests can be received, otherwise we might waste or squander God’s blessings in our immaturity. Our maturity is developed in the gap between the asking and receiving. Welcome to the Schoolhouse of Maturity so you can handle what you’re asking for when it arrives. Why should God increase our income if we haven’t yet learned to steward our money with Biblical discipline? Why would God grant a ministry to anyone who isn’t qualified just yet?

Someone said big doors swing on little hinges. Be faithful in little things, then bigger doors may open. In Acts 7 Stephen delivered the second longest sermon in the Bible. What an honor! His preparation included serving angry, older, hungry, lonely widows (Acts 6:1-6). These ladies were completely unable to pay him back. God could have said, “Be faithful serving my people and I’ll grant you an entire chapter in the Bible.”

We Pray, God Coordinates
Pastor Huck