Looking for Answered Prayer & Blessings

The last few years have felt like a constant barrage of battles. The various health diagnoses, expensive unplanned home projects, family happenings, business issues, and continual unanswered prayers overtime led to faith issues.

It was getting really hard for me to understand why God felt silent and allowed one crisis after the other.

All the faith-based cliche statements never assuaged the heaviness I felt. Yes, I knew everything in God’s timing. Yes, I knew sometimes we never get an answer. Yes, I knew to pray without ceasing. Yes, I knew God is always faithful. Yes, I knew God’s plans sometimes entailed terrifying moments.

When we’re stuck in hard moments, it’s just, well, hard! Sometimes it’s all we can do to ride out the tidal waves in the storm and keep ourselves in the boat.

So we keep praying, begging God for mercy and answers. We continue to cry out telling Him how we feel and what we need.

But what about after the hard storms?

What happens when the waves die down and the water becomes calm. When we make it to shore and step onto dry land.

In the midst of a couple of calmer days, it struck me. In learning to surrender to God this year, I started receiving blessings. Some of my prayers were answered. Not necessarily how I would have preferred, but answers nonetheless.

Oh I was still praying for a multitude of other things.

But since the waters had calmed, and I was currently on dry land, I ran full sped ahead into all the things I couldn’t accomplish while riding out the storm.

I didn’t take the time to look back, purposefully sit down, acknowledge what God had provided, and thank Him.

How tragic and selfish! I was so consumed with “the next thing” on my list, glad to be done with one battle, that I skipped right past taking time out to express gratitude to the One who provided passage to land.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reminds us,

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. NIV

Let’s challenge ourselves, to ALWAYS in ALL circumstances, look back and thank God for His answered prayers and blessings.

Heavenly Father, we come before you with humble and repentant hearts. Let us not forget to thank You for the blessings we don’t deserve and the answered prayers that allow us to move forward. Lord, there are many things we are still seeking Your will and guidance on. Help us to wait patiently, looking for reasons to rejoice and honor You. Give us strength to ride out the storms of life. We love You. Amen.