My Prayer Is Still in The Queue

Waiting on God’s answers can stretch our faith, especially when prayers feel unheard or delayed. Drawing from Matthew 7:7–8, this devotional reframes waiting as part of God’s process—assuring us that He hears every prayer and faithfully responds, even when His answers are still unfolding. Highlights God hears every prayer, even when the answer doesn’t come immediately. Delayed answers don’t mean ignored prayers—sometimes they’re simply “in the queue.” Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 remind us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking. Waiting requires trust in God’s timing, not doubt in His goodness. Scripture repeatedly affirms God’s faithfulness and unchanging character. God’s track record throughout the Bible proves He keeps His promises. A loving Father gives good gifts, even when the wait feels long. Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: My Prayer Is Still in the Queue By Lauren Fletcher Bible Reading: “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” - Matthew 7:7-8 Something I’ve been learning is the importance of patience in prayer. Often, I expect and hope God to answer right away. I’ll be praying so desperately, hoping to hear His response. When I don’t hear anything, I wonder, God, are You answering my prayer? This happened recently when I was praying for something. What God revealed to me is that He was answering my prayer, but it was still in the queue. Do you remember the days of downloading music? If you downloaded multiple things at once, the computer would download about three, and all the others were in the queue, waiting to be downloaded. I remember how impatient I would feel, eager to listen to these songs. It was a wait. Eventually, though, I would be able to play them. In this illustration, God helped me to understand that sometimes, my prayers are in the queue. God has heard them, He has answered them, but I have to wait for a little while for those answers. They are in the works. Matthew 7:7-8 encourages me that God not only listens to my prayers but answers them. He says that “everyone who asks, receives” (emphasis added). So, when I pray, He responds. Intersecting Faith & Life: What do we do when we are desperate to hear from God? According to this passage in Matthew, we keep praying. We continually seek His help and look for Him. He tells us that He will answer. So, what do we do when our prayers are in the queue? We must learn to patiently wait. We must trust in God as we wait. Scriptures like Psalm 34 and 40 comfort me when I am desperate to hear from the Lord. In Psalm 34, it says, “In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles” (Psalm 34:6). David says in Psalm 40:1, “I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.” It goes on to tell of how the Lord helped David and was faithful to him. When we are in need of God’s help and cry out to Him, He will not fail us. We can trust in Him. When we are waiting on God, in that challenging space, how do we know God is trustworthy? We know we can trust God because of His track record and also because of His Word. In the Bible, there are many stories of God’s faithfulness to His people. His Word also tells us of His character: “…And you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word” (Nehemiah 9:8b). In Psalms, it says, “For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does. He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the LORD fills the earth” (Psalm 33:4-5). God is so good. Following the passage about asking, seeking, and knocking, Jesus says, “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:9-11). We can trust God in the waiting. We can trust Him when our prayers are in the queue. We are assured that He hears every word —that He knows what we need before we even ask Him—and that He answers our prayers (Psalm 34, Matthew 6:8). Lord, Thank You that we can trust You in the waiting, that You are a faithful God. We thank you that You are faithful to answer every prayer. We love you. In Jesus’s name, Amen. Further Reading: Matthew 6:8 Nehemiah 9, 9:8b ...