| Written by Andrew and Jamie Wommack |
Most of us have the idea that if God wills something to happen, it happens instantly without being influenced by time, distance, or resistance. But is that what the Bible teaches?
God’s Word is His will. When we ask anything according to Scripture, we can rest assured He has heard us and that we have what we’ve asked for. However, there are restrictions for asking and receiving. As James 4:3 says,
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
The Lord loves us so much that He won’t give us things that are bad for us. And Mark 11:24 says,
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Maybe you’re thinking, I believe what God’s Word says, but I also can’t deny what I see and feel. There is a simple way to reconcile what God’s Word says with what we see and feel. And for me, the key is found in the book of Daniel.
Daniel was a powerful man of God who served the Lord while the Jews were in captivity to the Babylonians, Medes, and Persians. Through prayer, he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan. 2) and the handwriting on the wall (Dan. 5), and he was delivered from the lion’s den (Dan. 6). Daniel was no novice, yet he didn’t get the same results every time he prayed.
In Daniel 9:21–23, Daniel had only prayed for a few minutes and was in the middle of his prayer when the angel Gabriel arrived with God’s answer. But in Daniel 10:1–11, he prayed and got different results. This time, it took three weeks to receive an answer. Why did it take only a few minutes in Daniel 9 but three weeks in Daniel 10?
The answer is that there is a lot happening in the unseen spiritual realm that we can’t perceive with our physical senses.
It didn’t take the Lord three minutes to answer Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9 and three weeks to answer his prayer in Daniel 10. The Lord answered both prayers instantly.
Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
Daniel 10:12
The Lord answered both of Daniel’s prayers from the beginning, although the time it took for Daniel to receive the answers varied greatly. Scripture reveals it was a demonic power that opposed the messenger bringing Daniel his answer. Look at what Daniel 10:13 says:
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
If we believe that the answer to our every prayer will manifest immediately, not recognizing that Satan can hinder the manifestation of our prayers, then our faith will falter when we don’t see instant results.
What if Daniel had given up on the twentieth day? What if he thought, I got an answer in three minutes last time. This time it’s nearly three weeks. God must not have answered my prayer. If Daniel had done that, I believe he wouldn’t have seen God’s answer—even though it was already on the way.
If Daniel had wavered in his faith, he would not have received anything of the Lord (James 1:6–7), but that wouldn’t have been because the Lord didn’t move. It would have been because Daniel gave up. The Lord is always faithful to His Word and commands the answers to our prayers, but they can be hindered and take time to manifest. Don’t give up. Stand firm in your prayers, resist the devil, and believe God!
If this teaching blessed you, visit my website at awmi.net, where you’ll find additional free teachings and resources. If you need prayer, I encourage you to call my Helpline at 719-635-1111, where one of my trained prayer ministers would love to agree with you in prayer.
We love you,
Andrew and Jamie
