Wait

When we encounter unanswered prayer in our lives, it could be that God is not saying a hard "no" to us, but that He is showing us that we need to be patient and wait on His timing. And, He may just have a better answer than the one for which we are asking. 1st John 5 gives us some powerful and practical prayer instructions:
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

Emily Alabi has just joined FBI.  That would be the television series, not the actual federal agency.  But, the actress had to wait for the role.  She had auditioned for a part in the series, but had been rejected.  Now, in retrospect, she sees God's perfect timing at work, according to a Movieguide article, which says:

The actress posted about her FBI role on Instagram, writing, “God’s timing. With overwhelming gratitude in my heart, I don’t know where to begin in expressing how much this opportunity means to me because of the journey God took me on to get HERE.”

“I wanted to share a little of my story to inspire others to trust God’s timing. I tested for FBI at the beginning of Season 7 for another role, and what an amazing experience that was, but we got the news that they were going in a different direction. I was heartbroken but fully surrendered to God’s plan,” she continued. “I never stopped working, and I never stopped trusting Him.”

Alabi continued, “Turns out, 4 months later, my Dad was diagnosed with leukemia, and because I wasn’t in NYC filming, I was able to be with him throughout his chemo treatment and journey to recovery, which was more important to me than anything else. God knew that I needed to be with my Dad. Now that my dad is home and on his way to a full recovery, it’s crazy to see how God brought this back around but now, at just the right time.”

The article notes that, according to the Deadline website, Alabi will be joining the television series for Season 7, and, perhaps could become a regular for the following season. 

At the beginning of 2025, the actress had posted on Facebook:

Starting off 2025 more #grateful than ever.

My dad is finally going home! After an intense and emotional month, our hearts are filled with so much gratitude. Day after day, we witnessed God do what only he can do: heal, restore, and renew. Our focus was on conquering each day, taking it step by step, and putting one foot in front of the other. And by faith, my dad walked and put in the hard work.

We stopped focusing on the problem and focused on the promise. “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11.

So, while Emily trusted God for an acting role, she, as she said, was "fully surrendered to God's plan." And, the rejection turned out to be a blessing, because she had the opportunity to spend time with her dad in his battle with leukemia.

The Bible teaches us in Isaiah 40 that there is strength in waiting.  We may not see the answer that we pray for at the time or in the way we think we should.  Those seasons can provide an opportunity for our faith to grow.  As we wait, we can continue to seek God's will, and stand fast or perhaps even refine our prayers.  We can continue to pray according to His Word and our faith becomes strengthened, as we recognize that His ways are higher than our own. 

So, when we become discouraged when it seems like God has not heard our prayers or that we may have prayed erroneously, we can continue to stand strong in faith.  We can be confident that He knows what's best for us and continue to build our lives on His promises.