What Good Will You Make of This?

This is the question I ask God the most because, well, life doesn’t go exactly as prayed for. I tend to adjust my sails when a scenario doesn’t go as planned because I’m always counting on God to come through the way I expect. “Oh, so if you didn’t answer my prayer like this, it must mean you'll answer it like this.” “Not in that way either?”

In the face of defeat, I retreat back into my corner, ball up my preconceived notions and throw them in the trash. Then I typically throw my hands up in exasperation and ask “then what now?”

I am constantly going back to the drawing board because I hold firm to the promise that “All things work together for good to those who love God”. (Romans 8:28)

I know He won’t let me down but life tends to look really bleak when your expectations aren’t met and your prayers appear unanswered. I have waited years for some answers and I have waited moments for others and sometimes I don’t get an answer at all. Rest assured, His word says “He makes all things beautiful in His time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) 

Whether I’m disappointed, devastated, or just completely confused by a situation, I look back to all the times He has made good out of a bad outcome. It truly helps while you’re waiting for answers to remember all the ways He has made “beauty for ashes”.(Isaiah 61:3)

Those answers are in the things I see daily when I take a moment to look and appreciate what I do have:

His grace is reflected in my daughter who resembles her older brothers that I’ll never get to see grow up.

His wisdom is in the job that checks all the boxes I didn’t even know I had.

His love is in the marriage that has been strengthened through hardship because we turn to Him as our third strand. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

His mercy is in the heartbreak of lost friendships that opened my eyes and heart to the greatest soul level friends a girl could have.

It can be difficult to see the beautiful picture God is weaving when all you can see is the back of the tapestry. It doesn’t often make sense, it breaks your heart, it can make you question your faith and your relationship with Him. When you feel discouraged, I encourage you to hold up the shattered bits of your story and ask Him: “What good will you make of this?” and watch His hand work in your life.