It’s Friday night, and I’m sitting in my bed just relaxing. I can hear my daughter on the other side of the wall in her room, laughing and having fun playing Roblox with her girlfriends. I can hear voices coming from the TV in the living room as my husband watches. I hear my son make a couple of trips to the kitchen and back to his room. Life is good.

Our home is our hiding place away from the stresses of the outside world. There’s a spirit of calmness over the house this evening. It has been a long, busy week with work, school, doctor’s appointments, and dance classes. It feels good to finally have a chance to unwind. And the other plus is, we don’t have any obligations in the morning. A sense of gratitude washes over me for this rare, unhurried evening.

I prayed for evenings like this. It wasn’t always like this for me. I am so appreciative of nights like this. And I do understand that people are praying for what I can experience now. I am living the life that someone else is pleading to God for. That just blows my mind. It causes me to be even more appreciative. It is only because of God’s grace (unmerited favor and unconditional love) and mercy that I am even here today. 

As this holiday season rushes upon us, I am intentionally pausing to appreciate the little things. The things that we often take for granted until the moment we no longer have them. I was able to have a loving conversation with my dad yesterday about the work the Lord is doing in my life and in my family’s life. Some things I can see and easily show gratitude for. However, there are prayers that I have yet to see fulfilled. My dad reminded me that just because I can’t see anything happening, that does not mean that the Lord is not moving on my behalf.

It’s like the illustration I heard a pastor preach years ago. The farmer tills his land in preparation for the seeds. The farmer then plants and waters the seeds. However, the farmer does not see instantaneous changes in the field. For a while, all one sees is the tilled soil. The farmer diligently waters the field and eventually, a seedling sprouts. You see, there were changes happening to the seed before the sprout came out of the ground. The roots were being established. 

That’s how it is with some of my prayer requests. The roots are being established! I know the Lord has already put things in motion. He is working things for my good.  If you are in a season of waiting and are growing weary, remember that He who has answered before is more than capable and can answer again. Look around you and see all the prayers that He has already answered. Remind yourself of how faithful He has been to you in the past. He is the same God yesterday, today, and forevermore!

1 John 5:14-15

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.