October 19, 2026 Devo

We’re spoiled, aren’t we? We’ve created a world where waiting is thought of as something we shouldn’t have to do. We put food in our microwaves and can have it hot and ready in a matter of a few minutes. Better yet, we can call our favorite restaurant. They will get our food ready for us, and we can just pick it up on the way home. We go to gas stations that have 20 different pumps, so we don’t have to wait to get gas. We have multiple self-check kiosks at the grocery store, so we don’t have to wait for someone to check us out. We use text messaging so we can contact someone immediately. We want fast-acting medicine, instant mobile banking, and high-speed internet. I’ve seen people walk out of a store if there were more than two people in line at the counter. Having it ALL is not the driving force anymore. Having it NOW is. Which is why we get frustrated with God.
When the angel arrives in answer to Daniel’s prayer in our passage today, Daniel had been waiting three weeks. Let that sink in. THREE WEEKS. At what point would any of us have given up on God responding? Three days? Three hours? Three minutes? My guess is that after three weeks, a lot of us would have just moved on. We would make assumptions, such as, “God doesn’t care,” or “God doesn’t hear me,” or “God’s not going to answer.” Some of us might even begin to doubt if God is real at all.
Please hear my heart. I’m not saying waiting is easy. God knows that I’m not big at all on delayed gratification. But Daniel’s story reminds us of some important truths that we need to remember. One is that God hears our prayers right away. The angel told Daniel, “Since the first day you began to pray…your request has been heard in heaven.” We also discover in this passage that God began answering Daniel’s prayer right away. It simply took three weeks for Daniel to SEE the answer. Don’t miss this. Just because you don’t SEE GOD working, it doesn’t mean He isn’t working. Sometimes it just takes time for it to become clear to US.
Rest in that today. Don’t allow yourself to treat God like a microwave or ATM machine that instantly gives you what you’re asking for. If it’s taking you a while to see the answer to your prayer, there’s a reason. You may not understand that reason. You may not even like that reason. But God sees you, hears you, and responds to you out of His love for you. When you can’t see God working, you’ll have to trust that He is. His answer is already on the way. Even if it takes three weeks to reach you. That’s God’s Word for you today.