Why do we sometimes experience delays in life?
Have you ever felt like you are experiencing a delay in a certain area of life? Or perhaps there’s someone you know whose life or trajectory seems not to be moving or progressing as expected?
Maybe a person graduated from University or college at age 22 and after 4–5 years it seems as though there is no evident progress, in terms of career or life generally. Or maybe a couple that have been married for over 10 years but are unable to have children even though they desire to be parents and are making efforts. Or perhaps, it’s something else.
Delays can appear or come in different forms, and sometimes, it is those around us who label us by our situation. People including friends, family, or relatives start to question us, gossip about it, and so on. Other times, we are the ones who do so.
Delay is not a pleasant thing, particularly when you are still going through it. When you are in the phase, in the season, it could feel like you are in a parched land. Some people refer to it as a “wilderness” season. The first time I heard that description was when I watched American Underdog (a movie based on the true life story of Kurt Warner, an American football quarterback, two-time MVP, and one of the greatest stories in NFL history).
There are different reasons why we sometimes experience “delay” in life and different people view delay quite differently.
In this piece, I attempt to share some common reasons why people sometimes go through delays. This is based on my personal experience and the experiences of others that I have observed and heard of over time.
I will also look at the topic from a biblical perspective, as I am a practicing Christian and the word of God is my manual for living.
Below are some reasons why people experience delays in life (in no particular order):
1. Disobedience to God’s word or instructions: As Christians, we are called to follow God, obey Him, and heed His instructions. The book of Isaiah chapter 1 verse 19 says, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land”. I have observed that a common reason why many Christians don’t attain the height and level that God intends for them is because of disobedience. Failure to heed his word. And I’m not just talking about you or your neighbour, I’m also speaking to myself. I have realized that certain experiences that I had in the past could have been avoided. I didn’t have to go through them.
There is a saying that experience is the best teacher. However, it charges too much.
When we fail to obey God’s instructions, we expose ourselves to unpleasant situations and experiences, scars that may never heal or may take a long time to heal.
When we eventually get serious in our walk with God, we are likely to then realize our errors; where we missed it, what led to certain things, and so on.
Sometimes, people bind and cast and assume that it’s somebody somewhere who is responsible for some of the difficulties or delays they are experiencing. However, this isn’t always the case.
I can tell you this because I have walked in that shoe before. When things were so difficult, I couldn’t understand why nothing seemed to be working. I remember some suggested it wasn’t ordinary, and things like that. I prayed a lot, casting and binding, and attending different online prayer meetings to the point that I started to get reactions from my neighbours.
However, that challenging season came to an end, glory to God! And I gained understanding of some things that had happened before that season. It was like, God was pointing me to some of my errors, and where I missed it that eventually led to the delay.
2. Not being wise (Folly, being simple): Another reason why people sometimes experience delays in life is as a result of folly — foolishness or not applying wisdom to certain issues or situations of life. And the truth of the matter is, sometimes people don’t even realize that they are operating in it (that is, folly). That was my story. But through the grace of God and the things that God has taken me through, I have learned and still learning Wisdom.
You see, wisdom is a person (Proverbs 7:4; Proverbs 8 and 9) — and that person is GOD. Although the writer of the book of Proverbs uses female pronouns to describe the personhood of Wisdom, do note that GOD Almighty is wisdom (Proverbs 9:10–11).
Secondly, wisdom is an art. Recently, I read in a devotional that cited the Christian teacher, author, and televangelist Joyce Meyer that “Wisdom is living skilfully in whatever conditions you find yourself…Wisdom is choosing to do now what you will be happy with later on”. I had to pen it down somewhere because it’s profound.
I am learning the art of wisdom, and I hope you do too. Because, in this world and time that we live in, to attain true success and live a victorious life, a life that honours and glorifies God, you need wisdom.
You see, the people of this world (unbelievers, people who have no regard for God) and even some so-called or self-professing Christians, church goers, whose fruits (the substance of their character) make you wonder if they are truly Christians are so wise and cunning in their ways (Luke 16:8).
Some would go to any length to achieve their goals even if it means backstabbing, stealing, murdering, lying, or cheating. Some even use diabolical means and power.
Therefore, it is highly important that you who are a child of Light, walk circumspectly, being wise in your friendships, associations, place of work, marketplace, etcetera; and it is my prayer that God will help you as you do so in Jesus Name.
3. Bad decisions: Another reason why people sometimes experience delay in life is as a result of bad or poor decisions. When a person makes any decision, there are consequences. You’ve probably heard the phrase “cause and effect” before. It can be interpreted as:
for every action you take, there is a consequence or result, whether pleasant or unpleasant.
Many people are where they are today because of decisions they have made in the past. Be it in marriage, in career, status, position, etcetera.
While it is true that God is actively involved in the life of His people and that He has a good plan for each of us (Jeremiah 1:5, 29:11), there is a powerful gift that He has given to each of us — it is the Power of Choice.
Whether you are a woman or man, boy or girl, young or old, black, brown or white, student or professional. Every day, you are faced with opportunities and there are choices or decisions to be made. It’s left to you to choose the right path.
Some have chosen wisely, whether through seeking and following wise counsel or developing themselves and their ability to make wise decisions through the help of God. Today, they are reaping the benefits and in some cases, their children/descendants are also reaping the benefits.
By contrast, some have made poor decisions that have negatively impacted their life and led to unfulfilled dreams, ambitions, and goals.
Many are sad, many are depressed, some regret their choices, some blame others, some are in prison (physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, etc.) and it’s quite sad that in some situations, the children and family of those individuals became victims of the consequences of the actions of their predecessors, parents or relatives.
Personally, I can relate to this. Yet, I can boldly declare to you that God is a God of second chances.
He is faithful and able to restore whatever you may have lost if you are willing to come to Him with a sincere heart, acknowledge your mistakes or errors, and ask for His forgiveness and help.
He’ll help you, He’ll restore you and even do it beyond your greatest expectation. God is able to take you to greater heights beyond whatever you may have lost.
I’ve seen God do this for me. Turned my sorrow and mourning into joy, re-wrote my story, and made it even more beautiful than before! And, in the process, developed and still developing my character. Glory to God!
4. Pruning / Time and Season of Life: Different plants grow differently and require different conditions or processes. They also have different lifecycles. There are different seasons and phases from planting of the seeds, to sowing, to waiting, to harvesting. Like plants, we also go through different phases of life. When we walk with God or follow Him, He will work on us, work on our character, take us through different processes; prune us, and refine us till we become like gold and Christ is fully formed in us.
Sometimes it may seem like someone is experiencing delay, however, what is actually happening is that the person is going through a season of pruning, a season of preparation, a season of waiting, a season where God is developing them, shaping them, moulding them because of the plans He has for them, where He wants to take them or the kind of story He has written for their life; which I believe is a great plan, a beautiful story, and a special work of art.
Jeremiah chapter 18 verse 6 says, “…Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand,…” and Isaiah 64:8 says “…We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand”.
If you feel like you are experiencing delay in a certain area of life and are a child of God, I assure you that things will turn around for the better. Life is in seasons, and God is the God of times and seasons (Ecclesiastes 3:1, Genesis 8:22). He will come through for you.
Remember that even Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior who is seated at the right hand of GOD was born in a manger and had to go through the season of being a baby in a vulnerable situation where the parents had to go down to Egypt to escape him being killed by Herod (Matthew 2:13–15) and then to being obedient to them as a child, developing into adulthood and then eventually starting His earthly ministry. It is indeed a beautiful story.
The calendar of God may not always match ours but He makes everything beautiful in His time, and His blessings do not add sorrow.
I pray that God will give you and I the grace to trust Him more, obey His word, trust His timing and programme for our individual lives, and follow Him till the very end.
Peace to you and thanks for reading.
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