August 1, 2025

When God’s Plan Includes Delays

For two whole years Paul stayed there.
Acts 28:30

Two years can feel like a lifetime when you're waiting for God to move. Paul sat under house arrest in Rome, not knowing when or if he would ever be released. He had appealed to Caesar, expecting a quick trial and verdict. Instead, he found himself in a holding pattern that stretched on month after month with no clear end in sight.

God's delays are not God's denials. They are divine meetings disguised as frustrating breaks. While Paul waited for his legal case to move forward, God was placing him for something far greater than he could have imagined. Those two years gave Paul access to Roman officials, soldiers, and citizens he never would have reached as a free man traveling through the empire.

Delays force us to slow down and notice chances we would have missed in our hurry. If Paul had been released right away, he would have moved on to his next ministry trip and missed the chance to influence the heart of the Roman Empire. The very delay that felt like a roadblock became the pathway to his greatest impact. Sometimes God makes us wait because He's preparing something better than what we first asked for.

Waiting seasons are not wasted seasons if you use them to grow and prepare. Paul didn't spend those two years complaining or feeling sorry for himself. He welcomed visitors, taught anyone who would listen, and wrote letters that would impact the church for hundreds of years. He knew that delays are often God's way of building us for the next level of our calling.

Your view on delays decides whether they become your prison or your training ground. You can spend your waiting season upset and bitter, or you can spend it growing and serving. The choice is yours. God isn't punishing you with delays. He's placing you for something that needs more growth, wisdom, or influence than you now have.

Godseekers, the delays in your life are not accidents or mistakes in God's plan. They are planned pauses designed to build your character, expand your influence, or align you with His perfect timing. Instead of fighting the delay, give in to the process. Trust that God sees what you cannot see and knows what you do not know. Your breakthrough is coming, and when it does, you'll see why the wait was needed.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, waiting is hard when I can't see what You're doing behind the scenes. Help me trust Your timing even when it doesn't match my timeline. Teach me to use seasons of delay for growth and preparation rather than frustration and complaint. Give me patience to wait well and wisdom to see the opportunities hidden in my delays. In Jesus' name, Amen.