The Real Reason God Hasn’t Answered Your Biggest Prayer Yet
It’s not rejection. It’s preparation. Here’s why “not yet” might be His healthiest move for you.
Let me open this week’s essay with a question:
What if the reason your biggest prayer has not been answered yet is not because God is unwilling to give it, but because you are not quite ready to receive it?
I know…
For a lot of us, that’s not how we like to think about it. In a success-driven culture, we measure progress by how fast we can move something forward. We set targets, hit deadlines, and if it’s taking longer than we planned, we push harder.
Yet, some of the most significant breakthroughs will never come early. They will arrive when a person has been shaped enough to carry them without collapsing under their weight.
Read that again.
This is not delay for delay’s sake. It is development for sustainability.
We often think we are waiting on God to act. In many cases, God is waiting on us to grow.
What feels like a pause in your story might actually be a chapter of preparation that you still need to write.
The Gap Between Ask and Answer
Take a look at what’s sitting at the top of your prayer list right now.
A bigger role?
A key relationship?
More influence in your space?
A breakthrough for your team or organization?
You’re asking for “more.” But here’s the question that can sting a little: has your capacity grown at the same pace as your desire?
There’s almost always a gap between what we want and what we’re ready to handle. We can treat that gap as a frustrating delay, or we can see it for what it really is: a training ground.
And that’s exactly why what Jesus said in Luke 16:10 should reframe how you look at this season.
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”
— Luke 16:10 NIV
Jesus wasn’t just talking about money here. He was laying down a leadership principle that works in every arena of life.
If you can be trusted with the “little,” you can be trusted with the “much.” If you’re careless with the “little,” the “much” will crush you.
That’s not being harsh. It’s a reality check. And it forces the real question: how are you handling what’s already in your hand? This question can’t be answered from a surface level. It can’t be answered from optics. It needs to be evaluated in true authenticity.
In Luke 16, Jesus is talking about stewardship, but His point applies to every part of your leadership.
Trust is built in the small places before it’s tested in the big ones.
Look at David. Before he took down Goliath, he was faithfully guarding sheep.
Look at Joseph. Before he led Egypt, he was managing another man’s household and later, a prison.
Look at Peter. Before he preached at Pentecost, he had to be restored after denying Jesus.
None of them stepped into the “much” without first proving trustworthy in the “little.”
And that’s why sometimes God delays. Not to punish you, but to protect you from something you aren’t ready to receive yet.
Why God Might Be Keeping the Gap Open
Leaders often see a delay and assume it’s a “no.” But in God’s world, it’s usually “not yet.” And here’s a few quick reasons why:
He’s Building Your Character
Influence without integrity is dangerous. God will wait until your character can handle the pressure.He’s Growing Your Skillset
Some opportunities need tools you don’t have yet. The delay is room to sharpen what’s missing.He’s Expanding Your Capacity
Leadership isn’t just about what you do. It’s about what you can carry without burning out.He’s Refining Your Motivation
Sometimes the “why” behind what you want needs to shift from ambition to alignment with His purpose.
If the answer would hurt you right now, His grace and love will keep it out of reach until you’re ready.
Preparation rarely makes headlines. It’s built in the small, consistent choices that don’t seem like a big deal until the stakes get higher.
How you manage a small budget before you’re trusted with a larger one.
How you lead a small team before overseeing a department.
How you respond to correction when you’re not in charge.
These aren’t just habits. They’re tests. And Luke 16:10 says they’re also the pathway to more. God’s word assures us that he doesn’t withhold anything from his children. So when it feels like he is, there’s a good reason why.
Signs You’re Starting to Close the Gap
Again, not every waiting season is a holding pattern. Some are active development seasons. But we have to know whether we’re being developed or being disobedient. Here’s how you know you’re in the right place:
You’re focusing more on being faithful now than on being frustrated about “later.”
You can take feedback without spiraling.
You’ve found contentment where you are without losing hunger for where you’re going.
You’re building spiritual, emotional, and practical disciplines that will grow with you.
If these things are happening, the gap between your “little” and your “much” is already closing. But I know you may want to still close that gap more. So let’s talk about how we can do just that.
5 Steps to Close the Gap Faster
You don’t just sit back and hope to be ready “someday.” You work the season you’re in. Here’s how:
Step 1: Audit How You’re Stewarding What You Have
If your biggest prayer was answered today, could you sustain it? This question is uncomfortable, but it’s essential. Think beyond the excitement of the answer and into the reality of managing it day to day.
Do you have the spiritual rhythms in place to keep your priorities aligned?
Are your current responsibilities running smoothly without constant firefighting?
Is your personal life healthy enough to support more pressure at work?
Most leaders overestimate their readiness because they imagine the reward, not the responsibility. Take a hard, honest look at the cracks in your current systems, relationships, and disciplines. The goal here isn’t self-condemnation; it’s self-awareness. You can’t fix what you won’t acknowledge.
Step 2: Identify the Gaps
Once you know where you stand, it’s time to name the gaps between your current capacity and what the next level will demand. You can’t grow into the “much” if you don’t know what’s missing in the “little.”
Character gaps: Do you cut corners when under pressure? Do you avoid hard conversations? Are there patterns of inconsistency?
Skill gaps: Do you need stronger communication, strategic thinking, or conflict resolution abilities?
Capacity gaps: Are you already maxed out emotionally or physically? Do you have the bandwidth for more responsibility?
Write these down. Pray over them. This isn’t busywork, it’s the blueprint for your growth. The clearer you are about the gaps, the faster you can address them.
Step 3: Build a Plan
Clarity without action just becomes frustration. Once you know your gaps, you need a plan that develops you in the right areas and at the right pace.
For character gaps: Find a mentor who embodies the trait you want to strengthen. Ask for their feedback and learn how they’ve built consistency.
For skill gaps: Enroll in a course, attend a workshop, or assign yourself a stretch project that forces you to practice under real conditions.
For capacity gaps: Build healthy rhythms into your schedule. Leadership requires stamina, and stamina is built through cycles of work and rest.
This is where most leaders get stuck. They see what needs to change but never put a system in place to make it happen. Your plan should have specific steps, timelines, and checkpoints for progress.
Step 4: Bring in Accountability
Growth without accountability rarely sticks. You need one or two trusted people who can speak truth to you without fear of offending you. They key is to give them permission to call out when your stewardship doesn’t match your prayers.
Meet regularly and be transparent about your wins, your failures, and your growth areas. Ask them to pray with you about your readiness, not just the result you’re waiting for.
Accountability creates alignment. It’s what keeps your private development consistent with your public leadership.
Step 5: Align Your Prayers With Your Preparation
Most leaders pray for the opportunity. Few pray to be the kind of person who can carry it without being crushed by it. This shift changes everything.
Instead of only asking, “God, when will You open the door?” start asking, “God, make me the kind of leader who can thrive when the door opens.” Here are 3 prayer points you can start with:
Pray for wisdom beyond your current level of responsibility.
Pray for humility to keep learning when others start looking to you for answers.
Pray for discernment to know which opportunities to say “yes” to and which to pass on.
When your prayers line up with God’s preparation, you’re building yourself into the leader He can trust when the timing comes.
Want prayer over a waiting season? Comment that request below and we’ll cover you.
Turning the Gap Into an Advantage
If you’re in the gap right now, here’s the truth: the leaders who thrive aren’t the ones who simply endure it. They’re the ones who use it.
They see every current responsibility as preparation for the next.
They invest in relationships that will matter when the “much” arrives.
They create personal and organizational habits that will scale.
They embrace feedback instead of resisting it.
When you work the gap this way, you stop seeing it as a delay and start seeing it as an advantage.
This principle isn’t just for individuals. It applies to the teams you lead.
A team that can’t handle its current workload will crumble under more. A culture that resists accountability will fracture under greater visibility. A leader who can’t lead themselves will struggle to lead anyone else.
Luke 16:10 is a test for yourself, your family, your team, your church and your organization. If you want your team to be trusted with “much,” train each area to be excellent with “little.”
Steward Today Like It’s Tomorrow
If your biggest prayer is still unanswered, it may be because God is preparing you to keep what you’re asking for. That’s not punishment. It’s development at the highest level.
Every day in the gap is a day to prove trustworthy with the “little” so you can be trusted with the “much.”
Don’t waste the delay. Steward today like it’s tomorrow. Handle the “little” like it’s already the “much.”
When God’s timing and your readiness align, the answer won’t just come, it will be last forever.
Just remain faithful, leader!
— Jared