There is something particularly painful about seeing God work in someone else’s life while your own prayer seems unanswered.
That was part of John the Baptist’s experience.
John was in prison. He sent his disciples to Jesus with a question: was Jesus really the Messiah?
Jesus pointed towards what was happening around them. Blind people could see. Lame people could walk. People were being healed. Good news was reaching the poor.
God was clearly at work.
But John’s prison door remained shut.
That detail matters.
Sometimes we imagine that strong faith means every prayer will eventually receive the answer we want. John’s story gives us a harder, deeper picture of trust.
God can be good while the door remains closed.
He can be active while we are still waiting.
He can love us deeply without giving us the outcome we asked for.
That does not mean we pretend disappointment does not hurt. We can tell God exactly how we feel. In fact, honest prayer is one of the ways trust grows.
Then we can look around and notice where God is already at work.
And finally, we can open our hands.
“Lord, I will let you lead.”
I have had seasons in ministry when I prayed for funds, volunteers or a clear way forward. Sometimes the answer came. Sometimes it did not. Looking back, I can see God’s hand in both.
That does not make every disappointment easy to understand.
But it does remind me of this:
When God withholds, he doesn’t withdraw.
He is still near. He is still good. And even in the waiting, his hands remain steady.
So where might God be saying “not yet” in your life?
What would trusting him with open hands look like today?
Watch today’s 5-minute devotional: