Failure to obey God for any reason may indicate that you have not developed a close personal relationship with Him. Knowing about Him and being introduced to Him does not result in a close personal relationship with Him. We get to know God through Jesus Christ when we spend time with Him alone every day by studying, meditating, and decreeing (speaking what we believe to true) the Scriptures. According to Joshua 1:8, as we do this we make our way prosperous and successful.
The Scriptures reveal to us God’s thoughts about us and His desire for us is to be prosperous and be in good health even as our soul prospers. We also learn that we should never be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because His record proves that He never disappoints nor maketh ashamed. So those feelings are not from Him.
A delay in receiving answer to prayer does not mean that God did not answer immediately. Remember Daniel prayed for 21 days in Daniel 10:1-21 before his answer to prayer was received. The angel explained to him that he left the throne of God with the answer the first day that Daniel prayed. However there was a demonic spirit that the angel had to struggle with and God had to send additional help for the answer to get through to Daniel. The angel told Daniel that his answer got through because he kept praying and never gave up on God (Daniel).
In Daniel 9:20-23 when Daniel was yet speaking and praying, the angel, Gabriel brought the answer to his prayer. This prayer answering experience and the one in Daniel 10: 1-21 remind me of God saying in Isa 55:9-11 that His Word was like the rain and snow. Both leave heaven for the purpose of watering the earth and neither would return void; but would accomplish God’s purpose for sending them to earth. Both waters the earth but not at the same time. Rain waters immediately upon contact with the earth; but snow must melt before it waters. They each return as mist to heaven after emptying their purpose on and for the earth. Think about that whenever you are tempted to get impatient and say that God is not answering your prayer(s).
Copyright © 2015 by Surpora Sparks- Thomas
