JesusWalk Bible Study Forum: Q3. Delay in Fulfilling Promises - JesusWalk Bible Study Forum

Q3. (15:16) Have you ever been frustrated with God for not fulfilling his promise to you immediately? Why does God sometimes delay the fulfillment of his promises to a future time?

Pastor Ralph, on Sep 10 2004, 12:40 AM, said:

Have you ever been frustrated with God for not fulfilling his promise to you immediately?

I am ashame to say that I have been frustrated with God for not fulfilling his promise immediately. Knowing that things happen in their own time just did not get my attention. Being in severe health and pain constantly and wanting it to go away "right now" was only on my mond. But the fact is there's a reason for the suffering and when the last days come and Paradise is here on earth then and only then will my and everyone's suffering will cease to exist.

Why does God sometimes delay the fulfillment of his promises to a future time?

To give each and eveyone of us time to make that ultimate decision and to gain knowledge and truth. If the fulfillment would happen at this moment, there would be alot of people that are not ready to face that time and judgment.

God might have a different plan or will than the one we are thinking of,or might take out a different plan before He gives us things

Q3. (15:16) Have you ever been frustrated with God for not fulfilling his promise to you immediately? Why does God sometimes delay the fulfillment of his promises to a future time?


Ever since I became His child and started to grow in Him, I have acknowledged the fact that His time and ours are different. I am a cool person by nature and that helped me to give everything to God and let Him do it according to His schedules. So I am not frustrated or impatient with God. He has given me that characteristic in His abounding grace.

As said above, His times and our times are not related equally. The Psalmist said that a thousand years in His sight are like an evening gone...We cannot measure God's promises on our time-scale. God has a purpose and time for everything according to the wise king Solomon who said it in Ecclesiastes. We should not hurry God or force Him to act according to our schedules. That means we are not trusting Him fully. When He thinks that the time is ripe, then He will fulfill the promises, according to His schedule. Our part is to wait on Him and be obedient unto Him.

No never… OK, maybe more than I can recall. Maybe it was that bike I wanted… or that relationship with the girl up the street… or maybe it was that car I dreamed of… or that new job… the bigger home... the promotion…

But those incidents pale in comparison with what Abraham was told… “I brought you out of Ur to give you this land to possess” …but… “Know this: your descendants will live as outsiders in a land not theirs; they'll be enslaved and beaten down for FOUR HUNDRED YEARS” (!)

Why does God sometimes delay the fulfillment of his promises? I can only speculate. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” (Ecc 3:1) While we’re focused on the “now”, God is focused on his divine plan. Perhaps it is to test and strengthen our faith—to change us—to bring us closer to him.

But often we fall away when we’re asked to wait and wait. When God works through unexpected ways, we become uncomfortable with what seems to be uncertainty. We’re not sure whether we can rely on his promises and we grow impatient and frustrated—our faith falters.

We would be wise to learn from Abraham. Abraham lived by faith and believed that God would keep his promise. For he was told by God… “Fear Not!” … “I am your shield” … “Your reward is very great” … “Trials are certain” … “I will keep My promise to you”. We must learn to take things as they come, for it is not in our power to change what is appointed for us.

“He hath made everything beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end.” (Ecc 3:1)

My 8-year-old daughter wants a computer in her room. She has asked repeatedly for it. She sees that some of her friends have one.

But, as her father, I believe it would be irresponsible for me to give it to her at this time. Request denied. NO, request delayed.

One day, perhaps when she is in high school, I can arrange for her to have one in her room because it will become important to her student work. But she must wait.

As her father, I make decisions that I believe are in her best interest. Does she understand? Is she satisfied with my answer? No. But she learns to accept certain decisions that she knows I believe are good for her.

And in her heart she knows, whatever my decision as a parent, that I am working for the best outcome for her life.

Jud.

Have you ever been fustrated with God for not fulfilling his promise to you immediately? Why does God sometimes delay the fulfillment of his promises to a future time?

I don't know if fustrated is the word. Sometimes angry, sometimes full of doubt if their ever was a plan for me. And I want to see! I want to see why He allowed the police to come and take my grandson from me and give him to the drug addicted former boyfriend of my daughter. I looked out of the window of my apartment screaming in pain as I saw that he and his mother were down there waiting and watched them take him. My daughter left Paul with me to go file a police report and when she came back her son was not there. They have money and power but God has more and He wants them to repent and know Jesus. He is not willing that any should perish. He gave the Amorites four hundred years and they still didn't turn from their evil ways. I think He grieved. He grieved for the lost souls and for the little children. I believe He does what is good and I don't always understand.

God Bless
Jen

Q3. (15:16) Have you ever been frustrated with God for not fulfilling his promise to you immediately? Why does God sometimes delay the fulfillment of his promises to a future time?

Sure, but I've learned that His timing is just right--mine is skewed to please me--not His larger understanding of what needs to be for the good of all.
God has reasons that, like with Abraham, we may not see in our lifetime. But, He asks us to trust Him--with our lives, our dreams, and our future.
When I cannot understand, I can trust Him! The hardest thing is to wait when it involves someone we love--such as our children. We want it--and we want it right now! Especially when we think of their salvation. I have a daughter who is not saved and I want it now. But, I have learned over many years that God will act in His perfect way when the time comes. It's hard, but with His loving care, He takes us by the hand and leads us through it--as long as we willingly follow where He leads. We can't just bludgeon our way through and expect anything good to come of it. We learn by His leading us through a way in which we cannot see the end.

Quote

[color="blue"]3a.) Yes.[/color]
3b.) (15:16) Why does God sometimes delay the fulfillment of his promises to a future time?
[color="blue"]3b.) I am drawn to Malachi 3:3: "[/color][color="purple"]He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness[/color][color="blue"]," Many have written that God's time is not our time. I agree, but I would like to take it one step further. God is not bound by time. He is eternal. We are finite. The concept of time was created by God for us.[/color]

Pastor Ralph, on Sep 9 2004, 10:40 PM, said:

[color="blue"]Have you ever been frustrated with God for not fulfilling his promise to you immediately?
yes!!!! I am a visionary and it's hard for someone like me, with the gift of prophesy to wait on God. . . I give it to Him and if He isn't fast enough I try to take it back. . .
but I am learning to count to 10 per say. . . and learning that things work out for the best with LESS FRUSTRATION when it is done our Lord's way. . .
It's a real freedom to know I am not the one in control. . .[/color]

Why does God sometimes delay the fulfillment of his promises to a future time?
[color="blue"]Because we are not quite ready for what He has prepared for us. . . sometimes we need a bit more character building in us. . . and unfortunately that comes through testing and trails. But as James 1: 2-8 states, we are to count it all joy. . .
I believe this is because we are learning to rely on God like no other time and this is we grow. . . In the valleys. . .Amen![/color]

Frustrated, is not the word I would use - - sometimes I feel weary that things don't come to pass so soon. We all give a request to God and He always answers - with a Yes - No - or wait - - it is our lack of trust in Him to do it that makes us manipulate or "take matters in our own hands"

God does not tell us why He delays - - nor does He have to. He is God, we are not. The closer we get to Him, the more we see His fairness and perfect plan in all He does.
Deuteronomy tells us "the secret things belong to God."

In the end - all the prayers will be answered and the Mystery of God will be finished - - He will be shown that His judgment and ways are just. Right before the trumpets of judgment are sounded incense was added to the prayers of the saints - - and throne to the earth -

Revelation 8:3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.

It is awesome to know that He has our best interest in mind and when we don't wait on Him - He is merciful to forgive and redirect us on the correct path - -

We just need to fill our days with more of Him, and less of us - as the song goes!
Keep looking up!

I cannot recall a time when I have been frustrated with GOD for not fulfilling His promise to me immediately. There are times when I feel discouraged because my son is so far away from the LORD and the two Aunts who are atheists and get angry with me for speaking to them about the LORD.

GOD sometimes delays the fulfillment of His promises to a future time because He is omniscient and He knows the beginning and the end, His ways are best.

I have not been frustrated with God for not fullfilling His promises immediately, but as the years passed and then not seeing the promise
fullfilled, it does bring the question, "Did God really give me a promise".

God delays His promise because He knows when best to fullfill the promise
and also knows that when the time comes , we will then understand why
the promise was not fullfilled earlier.

(Maybe this question is appropriate to me at this time, as a promise was
made to me Ps. 138:8 about 12 years ago, regarding my son , Monte, and
to the best of my understanding, has not been fullfilled to date. I ask the
forum to lift me and my family up before the Lord with regard to this promise.
May God be glorified in this promise)

I have learned not to question God or think He is punishing me because He doesn't answer my prayers right away or at all. When my husband and I married, we wanted to to have children right away. We went to one infertility clinic to another, one adoption agency to another, and it was not to be - for 10 years. During that time, I thought God was punishing me and that He just didn't want me to have the desire of my heart. I now have 4 beautiful children 2 boys and 2 girls in that order. They came in God's good and perfect timing. They all love each other and we love them. I can see where His hand was in it all along. He is and was Jehovah Roi - the God who Sees and I will never question Him again.

I believe we have all been frustrated at one time or another with God for not fulfilling his promise to us. God knows he exact and right time for us when we think we know but we don't. It is all about timing if we get something before time there maybe more harm than good. We need to learn how to wait on the Lord.

God sometime delay because we might not be spiritually ready to handle the fulfillment of his promise. Let us have a willing and humble mind o let God direct our path.

Pastor Ralph, on Sep 9 2004, 10:40 PM, said:

[font="Times"][color="blue"]There has been times in my life where I immediately pointed to God and said "why" or "why not" was something like what I requested done or not done, and then ..... but that never revealed much.

I have found that waiting for Gods' responce is always the best way to go, for He know's why He answeres real quick like or makes me wait, and if I do wait, then happy am I that I waited for.....because by the time God brought it around, the whole senerio already changed and what ever it was, wasn't what it was made up to be.....anyway!!!

There is not really so much to do in life that anything more than what's already been done, can be done. oh, i'm not saying that people can't get stupider or even smarter about how they do something. It's just all repetition and vanity even if it's a new discovery - there is nothing new about it!!! I'm fed up with having to deal with evil people and their stupidity just because they don't feel like believing God. I'm tierd of the pain people so carelessly through about, oh, just because they didn't make good decisions and got hurt them selves. No, most of it probably wasn't their fault, but what people do with the pain so carelessly inflicted on them, even if someone took great care to inflict them, it is an individual's choice what they do with it there after.

There is nothing left for me to do. Jesus said "It is Finnished", so I wait for the grande finale. And why I wait, God gave me His Word for to hold on to, to know Him, to have Peace - His Peace while we wait for reentry into The Temple Of God. I must have had much confidence in Heaven, before I was born in the flesh, to tell God that I could do this and will make a difference. I didn't realize the evil potential of the mind, or even of those with me up there. But God knew and is weeding out the space in Heaven so that we don't have to be surprised by such evil people. I see one hand holding on for dear life to the ankle of God as He said, "okay you can go", and I realized that I would be here without His protection, and decided I didn't want to come. But God said Go!!! Make a difference, You can do it!!! And so I am here. Where are you? [/color][/font] [color="red"]p.s. I didn't mean to imply that God doesn't protect me. He does!!! I just wish He didn't have to!!![/color]

I have been frustrated with God for not fulfilling his promise to me immediately. God sometimes delays the fulfillment of his promises to a future time because He knows the perfect time.

I admit I have become frustrated with God for not fulfilling a promise right a way. I hate waiting for something. However, I know that God will delay the fulfillment of a promise because He is waiting for just the right time.

YES, I'M SORRY TO SAY THAT I HAVE. FOR HEALING, BUT I WOULD SOON LEARN THAT IT WAS HIS PERFECT TIMING, NOT MINE. WHEN WE ARE OBEDIENT HE IS QUICK TO ANSWER IN HIS OWN TIME. WE JUST NEED TO LET GOD BE GOD.
WHEN THE PROMISE IS DELAYED, WE PROBABLY ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THE FULFILLMENT AT THAT TIME. GOD WANTS THE PRAISE AND GLORY AND SOMETIMES OUR HEARTS ARE NOT IN RIGHT ACCORD WITH THE WORD. WE NEED TO REPENT OF SOMETHING AND CLEAR THE AIR. OUR GOD KNOWS WHAT IS BEST FOR US AND CAN SEE FAR BEYOND INTO THE FUTURE.

Yes, for years I wanted to be married and it was just not happening. The Lord gave me this verse in Isaiah 43:18-19. "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth;shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."
I want to encourage everyone who is waiting for God's promises. Try to hold on and He will fulfill all His promises to you and more than you could even ask or imagine. I'm going to try to find a verse that I am reminded of that reads something like that but I can't find it right now. Does anyone know the reference?