When Prayers Seem to Remain Unanswered

Prayer plays a crucial role in the life of every believer.
We pray each day. Some of them are quickly answered, some are not, and the rest seem to be queueing on God's waiting list.
Well, whenever our prayer receives a quick reply, we rejoice aplenty. But what do we do when our prayer is not yet answered? Do we grumble? Do we grow impatient? Do we feel disappointed?

What is actually happening UP THERE when God decides not to answer our prayer just yet?

Genesis 2:2-3 "By the seventh day, God had finished the work He had been doing. So on the seventh day, He rested from all His work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done."

He word "rested" in the above passage is written "qadash" in the original Hebrew tongue, meaning: savoring, enjoying, delighting in, consecrating, making holy.
Do we not realize that at the time God seems to be doing nothing, saying nothing, and caring about nothing, is actually the moment of His savoring our lives?

Look at Abraham, Job, Daniel, and Joseph, men of great faith and integrity in the Lord. Did the Lord always answer their prayers? Did He always talk to them at all times, whenever they lifted up their plea to His presence?
No!

There are times in the lives of the above-mentioned Biblical characters when God seemed to be silent. God seemed to have abandoned them, leaving them to face deadly perils and great trials on their own.
And, what do we read about these men?
The Scripture records that they remained faithful to the Lord despite their circumstances. Whatever befell them: loss of loved ones, poverty, disappointment, imprisonment, and even dead sentence, these men remained true to their One and Only God.
And, THAT, my friends, is the moment of God's delight in their lives. THAT is such a moment in which we please the Lord's heart by staying obedient and keeping His statutes through time of pain and suffering.
And we can be assured, that when this phase subsides, the Lord will surely answer our prayer and lift us up to a higher ground.

Are we ready to please the heart of God today, and present our lives and faithfulness as a fragrant aroma rising up to the presence of the Lord?