I found myself thinking, is there really a point to praying for certain things to happen in your life? Is there a point to praying for it to happen at a certain time? I mean I have been praying and believing God for the same thing for almost two years now and still nothing. It doesn’t seem like anything is changing. It doesn’t seem like anything is happening. I keep hearing people say, it will happen soon! Now is the time! The Lord says no more delays etc. but yet nothing. I keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting. And I can’t help to think that I may not be the only one feeling this way. I know many may be battling these same feelings as well. Feelings of being stuck in the situation; Feeling like what is the point of praying anyway.

I mean God is going to do what He wants to do, when He wants to do it. I mean, God knows all my wants and needs and knows my predicament but that doesn’t make Him hurry, go any faster, or hasten what He already plans on doing at the time He plans on doing it. And then you start feeling bad because you can’t believe you are actually having those types of thoughts. You start feeling like an unbeliever. You start feeling like a lukewarm Christian who is unsure of their faith or wavering in their faith. You start condemning yourself.

Then I am reminded of the scripture that says “hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12). The Message version of that same scripture puts it this way “Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick”. And it makes so much sense or rather it has a new meaning to me right now in this season. Hope deferred, that is everything we have been praying and believing God to do for months, years, or for some people decades now and we are yet to see it, it makes it seem like our hope is deferred. And then our hopes being deferred is what leads to this feeling of why even pray; which is our heart becoming “sick”. But then I wonder, but LORD, why do we have to get to this point? Why do we have to get to the point where we feel like our hope is deferred and our hearts become sick? Doesn’t that put us at a risk of falling off the spiritual wagon? Doesn’t that put us at risk of falling backwards in our relationship with You LORD? Doesn’t that give room for the enemy to attack us?

But then I realized that when we actually start feeling this way, feeling like what’s the point in praying when God will do what He wants to do when He wants to do it, when we begin to feel this way, that is actually an attack from the enemy. He is attacking our minds which is where most battles take place and trying to distract us from the promise. He is trying to distract us from our faith and belief in the power of God’s Word, His faithfulness, and His integrity. He is trying to distract us from knowing and standing on the truth that God’s promises, His Word is yes and amen!

And I am also reminded that feelings, our feelings, can be deceptive. Our feelings hold no ground because it takes the form of whatever is happening to us at any given moment. Our feelings are like a shifting shadow; that’s why one minute we can be happy, the next we are sad, and the next minute we are happy again. Our feelings are not our true reality. That’s why we are often advised not to make any important decision based on how we are feeling at the moment, but rather to take time to think it through.

So I say all this to say we must recognize that we are in a spiritual battle or warfare and we are fighting a war against an enemy who only wants to kill, steal, and destroy. So with that in mind, I want to encourage you to HANG IN THERE! No matter how bleak the situation looks right now, no matter how hopeless it looks, DO NOT GIVE UP! Even when it looks like absolutely nothing is happening, or maybe instead of getting better, things seem to be getting worse, remember that looks can be deceiving.

Remember that though you are in this world, you are not of the world (see John 17:16). Remember that you are a spiritual being and you are operating in the spiritual realm (see Romans 8:9). Remember that things happen in the spirit realm before it manifests in the physical realm. Remember that you serve a God who calls those things that are not as though they are (see Romans 4:17). Remember that the bible says that the expectations of the righteous will not be cut short.

I can’t tell you how many times I have been encouraged by hearing someone else’s testimony of how God brought them out of the same challenge that I am currently facing; or how many times I have been empowered with tips and ideas from someone who has been there, done that, and overcame. And most times these are not even people that I know or people who know me; it could be someone on the television, or in a book I read or a blog or an excerpt out any postings or articles, and even on social media. God is unlimited in the resources He uses to reach us. God is not going to physically come down from Heaven to deliver someone or to comfort someone, that is why He sends you and I on an assignment to share our testimonies with others. Revelations 12:11 says

“The hope of the righteous [those of honorable character and integrity] is joy” (Proverbs 10:28 AMP)

and Proverbs 23:18 NIV says

“There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”

I am encouraging you right now to continue to pray. God knew that we would get tired and weary in the room of prayer that is why He urged us to “never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT). He even wants us to pray about these feelings. Remember that Prayer is our way of communicating with God. He also says to us

“Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God” (Philippians 4:6 AMP).

And lastly, keep trusting in the faithfulness of God. Remember the things He has done for you in the past. You can look at it this way: since you are feeling this way anyway, you might as well just let everything go, the feelings, the emotions, the effort to control the timing of the manifestation of the promise, let it all go into God’s hands. This is the time for total surrender where you are like “LORD, I give up”; but not in the sense of you giving up hope, but rather, in the sense of I give up control and leave everything in Your hands LORD.

And be encouraged because you are the apple of God’s eyes and He loves you so very much. Based on that truth, know that He will do whatever it takes to see to it that you receive your breakthrough. The second part of that scripture in Proverbs 13:12 AMP says

“But when the desire is fulfilled, it is the tree of life”

and the Message version says

“But a sudden good break can turn life around.”

God is with you all the way even in those tough times when you feel like quitting. He promised in Isaiah 43:2

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”

He is with you right there in the middle of it all through to the end when you are living in overwhelming victory

So friend, be encouraged today and know that the LORD is on your side! And even as I encourage you, I am also encouraging myself because we all need encouragement. No one is perfect in their faith. We all need encouragement from time to time, a reminder that our hope and faith does not lie in anything or anyone but in God alone!

One last thing, remember that

“Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]” (Romans 8:1 AMP).

So, until next time, remember, keep your hope in God for He loves you so very much and has promised to never leave you nor forsake you!

Hey! Don’t be in such a hurry to leave, check out some of our other blog posts that will certainly empower, inspire, and motivate you to live victoriously!