Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12, (ESV) italics mine.
Sometimes unfulfilled desires, the ones we’ve prayed for over a long period of time, can diminish our faith and cause us to lose hope. Or worse, we may start to feel disappointed with God. Have you ever felt this way?
I know I have. Just yesterday, God answered a 27 year-old prayer of mine. Many times I questioned if God would ever respond to me. I can recall wondering what it would feel like if God said, “Yeah, sure!” to my request.
However, I’ve learned that even when I give God my dreams and desires—especially those I know He has placed in my heart—sometimes God says, “Wait” and I can expect a delay.
In those moments, I have to ask, Can I change or enhance God’s will in any way? Can I change His response to me and make Him answer me now? Can I make His will happen sooner than later? I know I can’t, but I do have a choice in how I respond to waiting.
I can either choose to walk according to my own way and understanding and never realize God’s best for me or I can run harder after God, and do His will at every turn and lean on Him. Instead of throwing a fit, I can choose to serve Him diligently and trust I will see His hand upon my unanswered prayers.
God built a desire in our hearts as humans to look forward to the future. He wants us to hope in Him. So we hope and pray our desires get fulfilled the way we want. We hope and pray we make it over the next mountain. We hope and pray we get the desire God has planted in our hearts. We hope and pray…
And when God fulfills our desires, we can find comfort in knowing God’s timing is still ordained in every aspect of our lives, especially in our dreams and in our desires. As His children we can soar and feel secure in knowing we trusted in a faithful God.
When God fulfills our desires our faith in Him will “grow in Him.” Our lives will firmly rest on Him and His faithfulness. You know what else happens when God fulfills our desires? People will see His glory. They will see His mercy, grace and the unrelenting love He has for His children.
We all have things we want in life so we must trust God and His timing to get them. We have to walk by truth. We have to walk by faith (the substance of things we hope for) and not by what we see.
Do you feel stressed about an unfulfilled desire? Do you feel hopeless? Can you describe your heart as “sick” because of “deferred hope?” Time will bring about the desires God has ordained for you. God’s timing will always bring satisfaction and joy. Just yield and trust in Him.
~Raquel
