My daughter sent a text message to a friend, in hopes of having a question answered quickly. Her phones messaging service showed that the recipient had read the message, so she waited anxiously for a reply. Mere moments passed, yet she grew frustrated, groaning her annoyance at the delay. Irritation eroded into worry; she wondered whether the lack of response meant there was a problem between them. Eventually a reply came and my daughter was relieved to see their relationship was fine. Her friend had simply been sorting out the details needed to answer the question.
The Old Testament prophet Daniel also anxiously awaited a reply. After receiving a frightening vision of great war, Daniel fasted and sought God through humble prayer (10:3, 12). For three weeks, he received no reply (vv. 2, 13). Finally, an angel arrived and assured Daniel his prayers had been heard since the first day. In the meantime, the angel had been battling on behalf of those prayers. Though Daniel didnt know it at first, God was at work during each of the twenty-one days that elapsed between his first prayer and the angels coming.
Read more at Why Doesn't God Answer Me? discoveryseries.org/hp112.
God is always at work on behalf of His people.