Have you ever wondered why God answers some of our prayers in part, rather than completely? Or why there are times when a miracle may not be instantaneous but gradual?

While reading from the Old Testament recently, I came across these verses. For context, this was in relation to the Israelites receiving the Promised Land as an inheritance from God.

“The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them.” – Deuteronomy 7:22-24 (NIV).

“These are the nations that the Lord left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. These are the nations: the Philistines (those living under the five Philistine rulers), all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. These people were left to test the Israelites—to see whether they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors through Moses.” – Judges 3:1-4 (NLT).

“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” – James 1:4 (KJV).

From these passages, bearing in mind that there will be different reasons for different situations, we can deduce a couple of reasons why this may happen: For our own protection and safety, to test us, to teach us, to equip and strengthen us for spiritual battles, and to help us mature as Christians. Knowing these reasons can be helpful as we await answers that seem to be a bit too gradual rather than instantaneous.

There is so much we can learn during this gradual process though, and I take comfort in knowing that if the end result leads to a more mature me, then it is worth it. The fact that my maturity is heading in the right direction matters more than the speed of my answer. We can test how mature we are as Christians by assessing our level of dependence on, and intimacy with God, and whether or not we are displaying the fruit of the Spirit, as noted in Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Patience in particular is key as we wait for God to complete His wonderful work in and through us.

It is interesting to realise that growing in maturity as a Christian is one of the most vital prayers we should make, and it is also one that can have a very, very gradual answer (at least for me anyway). Personally, I thank God that even though I may not be where I want to be, I am not where I used to be. I am even more grateful that God is not in a hurry, but is patient with me, with us. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” I remember reading Hosea 5:12 (NLT), where it states, “I will destroy Israel as a moth consumes wool. I will make Judah as weak as rotten wood”, and wondering whether the process of slow destruction that would apply in both cases was also a way of giving them a chance to repent before they were completely destroyed.

It is worth noting though that at the end of the day, we may not always know the why behind God giving us a partial or gradual answer rather than an instant one. In Mark 5:1-20, Jesus cast out an evil spirit from a possessed man. Instead of the spirit to leave, it started negotiating with Jesus. Imagine the audacity. But, what is even more amazing is that Jesus listened and granted the request of the evil spirit. In a way, this is quite reassuring, because if He can grant the request of a demon, how much more you, His very own beloved!

In Mark 8:22-25, we read the account of Jesus’ healing of a blind man. Unlike in a number of other instances, this healing was not completed in one go. Incidentally, Mark did not record Jesus saying anything at all when He performed this healing. Jesus simply spat on the man’s eyes and laid hands on him. And when the man confirmed that he could see, albeit not very clearly, Jesus did not tell him that ‘half bread is better than none’, or that he should be grateful for the part healing he had received. No. Instead, Jesus laid hands on the man’s eyes again. This time around, they were opened and his sight was “completely restored.” Indeed, even in the silence, God can still heal. Thank God that He is too compassionate and committed to stop His work in our lives partway. As an aside, I have read various theories of why this healing was not complete in the first instance, but at the end of the day, man can theorise but only God fully knows why.

It is also helpful to remember that God who created our bodies made them self-healing in many respects. This is why most people can experience healing after a viral infection, or a cut or other injury, without any form of medical intervention. It is truly fascinating how a skin cut can heal completely after a while, without any sign that it was ever there. God is such an amazing creator indeed! This is one of those blessings that God gives to both the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). Again, such healings are usually gradual rather than instantaneous, although some can be quickened by the simple act of taking the time to rest and recover.

At the end of the day, we have a God who gave the Israelites daily manna rather than a monthly supply in advance, and who will give us daily bread (Exodus 16, Matthew 6:11). God does not always give or reveal the full picture. I like to think that God may do this because He wants to give us our blessings fresh from His throne. If you have ever tasted freshly baked bread, you will know that there is a colossal difference between fresh bread and not-so-fresh bread. Sure, you’ll have to wait a bit longer for the fresh bread, but it is very definitely worth the wait. And what better way for God to keep our blessings fresh than for Him to give us those blessings at the right time, just when we need them. Tim Keller once stated that, “God will either give us what we ask for in prayer or give us what we would have asked for if we knew everything He knows.”

However, even when it comes to knowing and understanding the whys and wherefores, we can acknowledge that we only know in part now, but one day we will know everything completely. As 1 Corinthians 13:9-12 (NLT) states, “Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”

Ultimately, as Philippians 1:6 (BSB) states, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” This is also confirmed in the example in Deuteronomy 7 (verse 24, as quoted above). As such, we can be encouraged to keep hoping and trusting God instead of giving up partway. I like this quote from Jeffrey Fry, “Success is a slow process, and quitting does not speed it up.”

It is truly reassuring to know that God will fulfil His promise completely and speedily, when the time is right. “I am the LORD; in its time I will accomplish it quickly.” (Isaiah 60:22b, BSB). Not only will it be complete, it will also last. We may not be able to fathom God’s ways, but our understanding or lack thereof does not change God’s nature. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end… I know that everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that they should fear Him.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11, 14 BSB).

In the meantime, we can rest in the unshakeable confidence that, irrespective of what we do, God is a faithful God (2 Timothy 2:13), and His grace is always sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9). May we hold on to this confident truth of God’s character and His promises, as we wait for His work in us to be perfected and completed. Amen.

Image source here.