Won’t He Do It?

Have you ever been in a situation that left you wondering, “Is God there?”

“What’s going to happen?”

“Will God come through?”

If you have, you’re not alone.

It can be hard to walk through trials and seasons that challenge our faith and belief in God. Sometimes we’re praying for God to make a specific thing happen, and He doesn’t… Then what can we do?

I can attest to being at this place many times before. I can’t count how often I’ve found myself wishing and praying for something to come true. Sure, there’s been times when I’ve hoped for a certain outcome and God allowed it to happen — but more often than not, that’s just not the case. A lot of the time, I don’t get what I want. However, I’ve learned that when God doesn’t allow us to receive what we hope for, it’s because He ultimately has something better in mind.

That “something better” may come in the form of life-changing connections and friendships. Or, self-discovery and healing from past traumas. Or, simply deepening our understanding of Who Jesus is and growing our perseverance. While character development is almost never fun, God allows it because He knows that the path He has us on will be better for us in the long run than the path we prefer.

If you find yourself in a place where it seems like God isn’t doing what you want or hope for, keep in mind that it might be because:

1. He recognizes that you’re not ready for what you’re asking for yet. If God were to give you a good thing at the wrong time, it would become a burden. God wants us to have the capacity to value, nurture, and multiply anything He blesses us with. That means He will wait until we are ready to carry the blessing before He places it in our hands.
   

2. He wants you to experience other faith-building, character-enhancing blessings first. God looks to develop your integrity and your walk with Him before adding additional responsibilities. Because to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). Therefore, while you might be focused on the destination, He wants you to rest in Him and appreciate the journey. There’s a lot of beautiful things that God can add to your life even while you’re waiting for your prayers to be answered.
   

3. He knows that He has greater things in store for you than what you think you need. In other words, sometimes what we want is not actually what’s best for us. God may redirect your path to something that will benefit you and the people around you way more than your initial goal ever would have.

God is sovereign, and He knows what’s best for us. He’s promised to never leave us nor forsake/betray us (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5). He tells us not to worry, because He will always provide for us no matter what (Matthew 6:25-33).

The Lord loves you, and you can trust Him to meet your needs — even if He does it in a way that’s different than what you expect.

We don’t have to question if God will “make it happen.” Instead, let’s remember that He is wiser than we can comprehend, and that He knows how to do things in a way that is better for us than what we’re wishing for.