I wonder if some of you reading my posts think to yourself, “Where’s my miracle?” You read about how God is answering my prayers and wonder why He hasn’t answered yours… for a baby, a job, a spouse, healing of a debilitating disease, a home, a family that loves you … the list could go on and on. Is it because I have more faith than you? No, you only need faith the size of a small mustard seed. Is it because God loves me more than you? No, God has no favorites. I don’t know why, sometimes we never do, but I thought I would share some ideas that may help.

Waiting builds character.
Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4). Count it all joy. We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame (Romans 5:3-5). These verses tell us there is purpose in our suffering, or waiting, or trials. It may feel like we are at a standstill, but God is at work behind the scenes.

God sees the big picture.
We can only see here and now, what’s happening right around us. But we are part of a bigger picture which only God can see. He promises to work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). All things – even your sickness, or your unemployment, or your infertility – He will orchestrate for your good. Someday I believe you can look back (because hindsight is 20/20) and see how your struggles were turned to good.

God is God and we are not.
God is the Creator of the universe, Maker of you and me. He named the stars and put them each in place. He knows the number of hairs on your head and sand on the seashore. He sees your tears, He knows your pain, and He loves you more than you can imagine. God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). It may sound like a parent telling a child “because I said so,” but it’s the truth. We have human minds, and while very smart, we often don’t understand pain and suffering and struggles we see in the world. But God is God. He is sovereign. He is in control. When we come to the end of our understanding we can trust that God has a plan, even if it’s hard for us to see.

Don’t stop believing.
Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Matthew 11:23-25