It seems as if we spend the majority of our lives waiting for something. We wait at restaurants. We wait in line at McDonald's. We wait in line at the grocery store. We wait for doctor's appointments and lab results. We wait for our children to be born; then we wait for them to grow up. We wait … and we wait …. and we wait.
The most difficult thing for which to wait, however, are our prayers to be answered. We wait for healing. We wait for help in trouble. We wait for our loved ones to be unchained from drug and alcohol abuse. I have a dear friend who has prayed for healing for a loved one for nine long years, which God has answered and restored her loved one to her.  You might be thinking, “That's a long time to be waiting.” It is. However, God never leaves a prayer unanswered, we simply don't want to acknowledge when the answer is, “No.”
Noah spent years building the ark while his neighbors and friends ridiculed him, waiting for the rains to descend. Abraham waited years for the promise of God to be fulfilled giving him a son. Only in years that would have not been humanly possible was the promise fulfilled. The nation of Israel waited 400 years to be free from the bondage of Israelites before God chose Moses. David waited to be king of Israel, long after he was anointed by God. Christ waited for His time to be fulfilled to die on a cross.
There are times when we think God is moving too slowly, and we take matters into our own hands, only worsening the situation. God has a plan and knows when to answer our prayers. Although we might have to 'wait' a very long time, He is never late. Keep praying, believing that He who created the heavens and the earth also knows what is needed in your life. And He knows exactly when to fulfill your desires. When He does answer, you won't remember waiting at all; you will only be praising His name.
“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14