God Is Not Late, He’s Readying You For The Blessings Ahead

Rebecca Simon is a writer and poet. She is the author of two books about the Christian faith: Let Go, Trust God and 111 Devotionals.

There is a deep kind of hurt that settles into your heart when it feels like life is moving on without you. You look around and see those you love stepping into what you’ve prayed for. You see careers taking shape, you see relationships unfolding, you see dreams being realized, and you wonder why it hasn’t happened for you yet. You wonder if you missed your moment, if you waited too long, or healed too slowly, or doubted too deeply. You wonder if maybe God has gone quiet because you’re no longer on the path he had in mind for you.You wonder if you have finally outrun his grace.

But here is the truth — you are not late, and God is not absent. He is just building you for the next chapter of your life. 

When it comes to God, the seasons that feel like silence are often the ones where the most sacred kind of work is being done. Not the external kind of work that people can celebrate, but the internal kind that no one else can see — the character, the passion, the clarity. In a world obsessed with speed it’s easy to confuse stillness with stagnancy, but God’s timeline isn’t governed by urgency. It’s governed by intention, and what he is doing in your life right now, though hidden, though quiet — is not wasted. It’s foundational.

Sometimes the delay is the very thing that develops you. The waiting sharpens your discernment. The wandering teaches you endurance. The unanswered prayers deepen your faith. In his heart, God does not rush what he loves. He isn’t interested in simply getting you to a destination, he’s preparing you to sustain it once you arrive. Because the truth is, answered prayers can feel like nightmares if you’re not ready for them. Doors can open before you have the emotional or spiritual maturity to walk through them wisely. 

God sees the whole story, and he will not let you arrive unprepared.

So, if it feels like God is holding you back — maybe he’s actually holding you together. If it feels like you’re being overlooked, maybe you’re being safeguarded. His delay is not his absence. His silence is not his neglect. He is not punishing you. He is preserving you.

There is a deeper kind of love in divine timing. A kind of love that protects what it promises. A kind of love that won’t let you settle for a version of life that is only almost right. And when it finally comes, when the door opens, when the healing lands, when the thing you’ve been waiting for meets you where you are —you will understand. You will see how it had to happen this way. 

God is not late. He is simply not working according to the timeline of your fear. He is moving according to the timeline of your becoming. And when it all unfolds, it won’t feel rushed. It will feel like peace. It will feel like purpose. It will feel like something only God could have orchestrated.

So breathe. Stay open. Keep going. Just because you can’t see the progress doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. God is working in the dark. He is working in the silence, and in the depths of who you are. He’s not just preparing the life for you — he’s preparing you for the life.

Remember – what is meant for you will not miss you. Not when grace is involved. Not when God is still the one writing your story.