There was a time in my life when ten years “later”, I started to become cynical when I read verses like Psalm 37:4. My husband and I had spent over a decade praying and believing that God would bless us with offspring. As we endured a difficult journey through infertility, God continued to bless countless other couples with children.

It seemed God was blessing everyone else and ignoring our ongoing petition. I started to distrust God’s good intentions for me. I started to assume that Hannah’s words – “for this child I prayed, and the LORD has given me the petition which I asked” (1 Samuel 1:27) were intended to be echoed by other women, but not me.

Sadly, I reduced God’s good intentions toward me to the sum of one unfulfilled desire.

When waiting, it’s easy to dismiss the numerous other desires that God has already satisfied. Given our inclination to forget and lose sight of God’s goodness and past blessings amid present hardships and disappointments makes it clear why, countless times, God calls His followers to remember what He has done.

1 Chronicles 16:12 instructs those who seek God to “remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from his mouth”. Similarly, the psalmist wrote, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits” (Psalm 103:2). Additionally, I recall Joshua 4. God instructed the children of Israel to take twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River and to set them up at Gilgal as a perpetual reminder that He cut off the flowing waters of the Jordan, allowing the people to cross safely en route to the Promised Land.

When we fail to remember all that God has allowed us to accomplish and the numerous blessings that He’s already given, we’re susceptible to grumbling, cynicism, and making harmful decisions. When God doesn’t come through for us in the exact time and manner we want, we tend to take situations into our own hands. We concoct plans to get what we want sooner and by nearly any means necessary. Against wise counsel, we exhaust our savings, incur debt, abandon commitments, and at times blatantly disobey God.

To avoid these pitfalls, it’s essential that we remember specific desires that God has already satisfied. We must persevere and not lose confidence in God. Hebrews 10:35-36 states, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

We must believe that if God came through then, He will come through again.

My husband and I are now the grateful parents of a two-year-old. God proved His faithfulness to us once again in His timing.

What prayers has God already answered on your behalf? What tangible reminders do you have of God’s faithful provision? Will you continue to trust God in the waiting and believe He will come through for you?

Record these reminders in your journal or sit memorial stones of your own out where you can readily see them.

Satan seeks to diminish our confidence in God and His word. The Accuser wants to accuse God of blessing everyone except you and me. Ignore Satan’s false accusations. If you’re still waiting for God to answer a prayer, cling to Him and trust His word. Prolonged seasons of waiting aren’t an indication that God has forgotten about you – it’s just not the time yet. So remember, God has good intentions for you too.

If you wish to learn how to successfully navigate other challenges associated with prolonged waiting, I encourage you to read Dafnette’s new book The Waiting Room: Choosing To Thrive When Life Hurts.

Book link – http://dafnettejones.com/the-waiting-room/
Website: http://dafnettejones.com