4Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2: 3-4)
Faith is all about resting in the work which Jesus did at the Cross.
When we rest in the revelation of His grace, that He has paid for all things at the Cross.
When the answers to our prayers face delay, we should never think that God is punishing us or does not care about us.
We cannot be separated from His love:
"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 37-39)
His love is about the eternal redemption and everlasting righteousness which He has purchased for us at the Cross:
"10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)
This propitiation is greater than we understand:
"2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2: 2)
He remains our mercy seat forever.
When we understand that He is our righteousness, then we can receive all other things with Him:
"33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6: 33)
After the Cross, righteousness now seeks us:
"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1: 30)
His love for us is wrapped up in His righteousness.
So, let us submit in the face of delay that God loves us, and He delays because He delights in us. Consider the delay instated by Jesus when Lazarus was sick, then died:
"Then his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was." (John 11: 3-6)
Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, and therefore He delayed two days, and when Jesus arrived after Lazarus' death, He was fully glorified as the Son of God, the Resurrection and the Life.
Because Jesus wants us to have life and that more abundantly, He will delay.
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