A Follow-Up to “Promises, Promises”
In the last post, we explored the deep well of promises that God offers to His people—promises of provision, presence, restoration, strength, and a future filled with hope. But for many believers, a difficult question follows close behind:
What do I do when those promises don’t seem to be coming true?
Maybe you believed God for healing, and you’re still sick.
Maybe you trusted Him for provision, and your bank account is running dry.
Maybe you held on for restoration in your marriage, but the papers are signed.
Maybe you’ve fasted, prayed, worshiped, waited—and nothing has changed.
What then?
This follow-up post is not about what God can do. It’s about what you and I are called to do when the promise tarries, when hope stretches thin, and when God seems silent. It’s about how to live when the promise feels more like a burden than a blessing—and why, in that place, your faith is not failing but forming.
1. The Waiting Is Not Wasted
“Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” —Habakkuk 2:3
God’s timing is rarely aligned with our expectations. The distance between promise and fulfillment often feels unbearable—but it is intentional. Scripture is filled with examples of long waits:
- Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac.
- Joseph waited 13 years for promotion.
- David waited over a decade to be crowned king.
- Jesus waited 30 years to begin His public ministry.
And in every case, the delay wasn’t punishment—it was preparation. God was doing something in them before He fulfilled the promise to them.
Waiting seasons are where roots go deep. Character is formed. Pride is stripped. Trust is tested. And we learn that God isn’t just the Giver of good things—He is the good thing.
2. God’s Promises Are Sure, Even When They Feel Distant
“God is not a man, that he should lie… Has he said, and will he not do it?” —Numbers 23:19
One of the enemy’s greatest tactics in seasons of delay is to whisper, “Did God really say?” It’s the same strategy he used on Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:1), and it still works—because doubt is always crouching at the door of disappointment.
But we must remember: our feelings do not invalidate God’s faithfulness. If He said it, He will do it. Maybe not how we imagined. Maybe not when we expected. But God’s Word is not subject to emotional weather. His promises are not swayed by our timeline.
When the gap between promise and reality stretches wide, we must return again and again to the rock-solid truth: God’s Word cannot fail.
3. Trusting God Means Trusting His Process
“The word of the Lord tested Joseph until it came to pass.” —Psalm 105:19
This verse is stunning. It tells us that God gave Joseph a promise—and then that very promise tested him.
Have you ever felt that way? That the very thing you believed God for is now the source of your deepest pain? That the word you were clinging to now feels like it’s crushing you?
You’re not alone. The promise has power—but it also has pressure. Because God is not just committed to giving you the promise. He’s committed to making you into the kind of person who can carry it without being destroyed by it.
Sometimes the waiting feels like dying. But in God’s kingdom, death always precedes resurrection.
4. Delay Is Not Denial
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” —Proverbs 13:12
It’s okay to admit that delay hurts. The Bible doesn’t deny the sting of deferred hope. God isn’t offended by your sadness, your frustration, or even your questions.
But He does want to meet you in that ache and remind you: a delay is not a divine ‘no.’
Some promises take longer because they’re bigger. Some take longer because there’s more at stake. Some take longer because God is aligning things behind the scenes in ways you can’t yet see.
If the fulfillment hasn’t come yet, it’s not because you’re forgotten. It’s because the tree is still growing underground, and when it blooms—it will be a tree of life.
5. Don’t Let Delay Redefine God’s Character
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” —Psalm 27:13
In long seasons of waiting, the greatest temptation is not to abandon the promise—it’s to redefine God.
We start to wonder:
“Maybe God isn’t really good.”
“Maybe He only blesses other people.”
“Maybe I heard Him wrong.”
“Maybe He’s withholding from me.”
But those are the lies that lead to despair. We must anchor our hearts in what we know of God’s character—not what we feel in the moment.
God is good.
God is just.
God is merciful.
God is near.
God is still writing your story.
The enemy wants you to believe that because the promise hasn’t come, God isn’t who He said He is. But faith says, “I will believe in the dark what He told me in the light.”
6. Faith Doesn’t Deny Reality—It Anchors in God’s
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed.” —Romans 4:18
Abraham faced the facts: he was old, and Sarah’s womb was barren. But he didn’t waver. He believed God was able to do what He had promised.
Faith doesn’t mean pretending things are fine. It means declaring that God is still faithful, even when everything says otherwise.
You can be honest about the pain and anchored in God’s truth. You can grieve the delay and stand in faith. You can carry questions and hold onto God’s goodness.
That’s not doubt—that’s maturity.
7. What If the Promise Isn’t for This Side of Eternity?
Some of the promises we long for may not be fulfilled in this lifetime. The writer of Hebrews makes a sobering but beautiful statement:
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar…” —Hebrews 11:13
There’s a tension here. God is a God of now—but also a God of eternity. And sometimes, the deepest promises point beyond our momentary hopes.
Does that mean we give up on believing for earthly breakthrough? No. It means we believe with open hands. We trust that God sees what we cannot—and that even if we don’t receive what we wanted in this life, we will not be disappointed in eternity.
Conclusion: Keep Holding On
If “Promises, Promises” was about the breathtaking assurance of what God has declared over our lives, then this post is about the in-between. The messy middle. The long night before the morning.
If that’s where you are—still waiting, still hoping, still trusting—hear this:
You’re not forgotten. You’re not failing. And you’re not finished.
The promise still stands.
God is still faithful.
And you are still in the story.
So keep holding on. Even with trembling hands.
Keep believing. Even with tired eyes.
Keep worshiping. Even when it hurts.
Because one day soon—maybe sooner than you think—you’ll look back and say:
“Every word came true. Not one promise failed.”
And until then?
Still standing.
Still hoping.
Still His.
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