When My Dream Gets Delayed, I Don’t Need to Fear

In Deuteronomy 8:2 I read, “Do you remember how the Lord led you through the wilderness for all those forty years, humbling you and testing you to find out how you would respond, and whether or not you would really obey him?” (TLB)

I’ve been looking at and learning how God takes me through the Six Phases of Faith—a dream, decision, delay, difficulty, dead end, and deliverance to grow my faith and develop my character.

The third phase is when I face delays. Dreams are never fulfilled immediately. There is always a waiting period. 

The Israelites were brought out of Egypt and then wandered around for 40 years before they went into the Promised Land, even though their journey shouldn’t have taken more than a few weeks. Just like the Israelites, sometimes I’m delayed by God’s design. Every dream has difficulties, and God uses delays to prepare me to face them. 

God also uses delays to test me. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 8:2, “Do you remember how the Lord led you through the wilderness for all those forty years, humbling you and testing you to find out how you would respond, and whether or not you would really obey him?” (TLB).

So when my dream is delayed, how should I respond?

Don’t fear!

Embracing fear is the first mistake the Israelites made. Deuteronomy 1:28 says, “Why should we go there? We are afraid. The men we sent tell us that the people there are stronger and taller than we are” (GNT). The Israelites had enough faith to move out of Egypt, but they didn’t have enough faith to move into the Promised Land. They were afraid. 

The problem with fear is that it keeps me in the wilderness. It prolongs the delay. Many of my dreams have never been fulfilled, not because of God but because I’m not stepping out in faith.

The antidote to fear is focusing on God’s presence. Remember that God is with me. He says, “Fear not, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10 TLB). He’s with me now, he always has been, and he always will be.

God has not forgotten me. This delay is likely by design. God knows what I’m going through. He wants to build my character, and he wants me to learn to trust in him. I can count on him for his help. 

In summary, God leads me through the wilderness, humbling and testing me to prove my character, and to find out whether I will be obedient to him and his commands. If every prayer of mine was answered immediately, my faith would not be stretched or exercised. I'd have no need for faith. I know I don't like waiting, however I'm reminded this morning that life is full of waiting. Just like the Israelites, God wants to see what kind of faith I have. God uses delays to test me. I must realize that his timing is perfect, but his timetable won't match mine. When I get in a hurry, I tend to ask the "when" questions. I just need to be patient and obedient and have faith that God will word in my best interest. I may be in God's waiting room right now, but it is a necessary time of building my faith. I can know that while I'm waiting, God is working and he's working on me.