Strength for Today

Week Nine: When the Answer is "Not Yet"

“For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come and will not delay.”
~Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV)

There are some answers from God that are easier to understand than others. Yes is usually pretty easy. We like yes. Yes gives us something to celebrate. Something to move toward. Something we can tell people about. Even no, as painful as it can be, eventually gives us something definite to work with. A closed door is still a door we can stop standing in front of.

Then there's another answer: Not yet. "Not yet" can be incredibly difficult, because "not yet" leaves us somewhere between the prayer and the answer.

We don't know whether to keep hoping.
We don't know whether to change direction.
We don't know whether God is asking us to wait another day, another month, another year; or whether He's doing something entirely different than what we expected.

So we pray - we wait - and we pray some more. At first, perhaps we wait expectantly. Then cautiously. When it seems like enough time has passed, sometimes we begin protecting our hearts from disappointment by expecting nothing at all. 

You see, waiting can do something to hope; especially when you've been waiting longer than you thought you would.

When waiting starts changing what we believe

There are things I've prayed about with tremendous confidence, and then there are prayers I've prayed for so long that somewhere along the way, the prayer changed. Not necessarily because the situation changed, but because I did. Maybe you know what I mean.

At first: “Lord, I know You can do this.”

Then: “Lord, I'm still trusting You.”

Then: “Lord, are You doing anything?”

Eventually, if we're not careful: “Maybe You aren't listening.”

That's one of the dangers of a long "not yet."

We can begin interpreting God's character through our disappointment.

The answer hasn't come, so maybe He doesn't hear me.
The door hasn't opened, so maybe He has forgotten me.
Someone else's prayer was answered, so maybe God loves them differently.
I've waited this long, so perhaps I misunderstood Him completely.

Our circumstances however, are not always reliable interpreters of God's character. God's silence is not proof of His absence, and His timing is not proof that He has forgotten us.

Habakkuk knew something about waiting

The book of Habakkuk begins with a question many of us have probably asked in one form or another: “How long, Lord?” Habakkuk looked around at what was happening and couldn't understand why God wasn't intervening.

He prayed.
He questioned.
He waited.

God's answer to Habakkuk included these words: “For the revelation awaits an appointed time… Though it linger, wait for it.” 

I find those words interesting. Though it linger... 

God acknowledged that from Habakkuk's perspective, it would feel slow. There would be a gap between the promise and what he could see. There would be a season when he would have to live without knowing exactly how everything would unfold. Sound familiar?

God didn't give Habakkuk control over the timeline, He gave him something else; a reason to continue trusting the One who held it. Perhaps that's one of the hardest lessons of faith: God rarely gives us the entire timeline. He gives us enough grace for today. 

“Not yet” doesn't always mean “yes later”

This is where I think we need to be careful.

It's tempting to say: “Just keep believing. Your answer is coming.” It sounds encouraging, but Scripture doesn't promise that every prayer we pray will eventually be answered exactly the way we want.

Sometimes God says yes.
Sometimes He says no.
Sometimes He redirects us.
Sometimes He changes our desires.
Sometimes the answer looks so different from what we imagined that we don't recognize it at first.
Sometimes we may never fully understand why something unfolded the way it did.

Faith isn't believing: “If I wait long enough, God will eventually give me what I want.”

Faith is being able to say: “God, I still trust You while I don't know what Your answer will be.”

That's harder, but I think it's deeper too. Why? Because then our faith isn't anchored to an outcome, but rather it's anchored to Him.

Jesus waited too

There's a moment in John 11 that has always fascinated me.

Lazarus was sick. His sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus. They knew Jesus loved their brother, and they knew what Jesus could do. Surely He would come immediately. But Scripture tells us something surprising.

After Jesus heard Lazarus was sick... He stayed where He was for two more days.

That's TWO days!

Can you imagine Mary and Martha waiting?
Looking toward the road?
Wondering when Jesus was coming?
Watching their brother become weaker? 

They had sent for Him and they KNEW He loved them. So where was He?

By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had died, and Martha said something incredibly honest: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” I can hear the grief in that sentence, maybe even her confusion. "Jesus, You could have changed this. Why didn't You come?" 

Yet Martha continued: “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Grief and faith, questions and trust, existing in the same heart.

We've seen that before, haven't we?

Jesus hadn't forgotten Lazarus.
He hadn't forgotten Mary.
He hadn't forgotten Martha.

What looked like devastating delay from their perspective was not evidence that Jesus didn't care. They simply could not yet see the entire story, and neither can we.

The hallway between prayer and answer

I don't particularly enjoy "not yet." I'm much more comfortable with a plan. Preferably one with dates, and perhaps a checklist, and maybe even a color-coded spreadsheet while we're at it. God has apparently never consulted my calendar before deciding how quickly He should answer my prayers.

So sometimes we find ourselves in what feels like a hallway. Behind us is the prayer we've already prayed. Somewhere ahead is an answer we cannot see, and we're standing somewhere inbetween.

We can't go back.
We don't know how far it is to the next door.
We'd really appreciate a sign saying: ANSWER THIS WAY →
But there isn't one.
There is simply enough light for the next step.

Maybe that's where you are right now. In the hallway. Perhaps you've been there so long that you're wondering whether God knows you're still standing there.

Friend... He knows.

Waiting doesn't mean doing nothing

There is a kind of waiting that feels passive, but biblical waiting isn't necessarily sitting still and watching the clock. Sometimes waiting means continuing to live faithfully while the answer remains unknown.

You still love your family.
You still go to work.
You still serve.
You still laugh.
You still make plans.
You still notice beautiful things.
You still pray.
You still live the life God has placed in front of you.

One of the things not yet can steal from us is now. We become so focused on the answer we're waiting for that we miss the life happening around us.

I'll be happy when...
I'll have peace when...
I'll really start living when...

What if the answer doesn't come this week? Does that mean this week doesn't matter?
What if it doesn't come this year? Does that mean God has nothing meaningful for you in the meantime?

No. Your life is not on hold simply because one prayer remains unanswered.

There is still grace here.
There is still purpose here.
There is still joy here.
There is still God here.

Maybe the question isn't only, “When?”

Sometimes we spend so much time asking: “God, when are You going to answer this?” that we miss another question: “God, how do You want me to live while I wait?”

Maybe He wants us to keep praying.
Maybe He wants us to take a step.
Maybe He wants us to release something.
Maybe He wants us to stop trying to force a door open.
Maybe He wants us to notice what He's already doing.
Maybe He simply wants us to stay close.

We won't always know, but we can keep bringing the question back to Him.

“Lord, what does faithfulness look like today?”

Not six months from now.
Not when everything is resolved.
Today.

Be careful what you decide about God in the waiting

This may be the part I need most myself. When we've been disappointed, it's easy to make conclusions.

God forgot me.
God isn't listening.
Maybe my prayers don't matter.
Maybe everyone else gets their miracle except me.

But feelings born from disappointment aren't always truth.

So perhaps instead of asking only: “What am I waiting for?”

We need to ask: “What have I started believing about God because I've been waiting?”

That's a much more difficult question. Why? Because waiting doesn't only reveal what we want, sometimes it reveals what we believe. When we discover something there that isn't true, we can bring that to God too.

“Lord, I've started believing You've forgotten me. Remind me who You are.”

“Lord, I've started believing nothing will ever change. Help me trust You with what I cannot see.”

“Lord, I've started comparing my story to everyone else's. Help me stay faithful in the story You're writing with me.”

You don't need the answer to trust the One who holds it

Maybe your "not yet" involves healing.

A relationship.
A child.
A job.
A dream.
A decision.
A door you've been asking God to open.
A situation you've begged Him to change.
Or perhaps something so personal that you've stopped talking about it altogether.

I won't tell you: “Your breakthrough is right around the corner.” I don't know that. I won't tell you everything will turn out exactly the way you've hoped. I don't know that either; but I can tell you what Scripture continually brings us back to: God is faithful. 

That means:

We can trust Him without knowing the ending.
We can pray boldly and hold the outcome with open hands.
We can hope without demanding.
We can wait without assuming we've been forgotten.
And when our hearts become tired, we can say: “Lord, I don't know whether Your answer is yes, no, or not yet. I do know that You are still God here.”

Maybe that's faith in the hallway. Not certainty about what waits behind the next door, just trust in the One walking beside us.

If today the answer is still “not yet”

You don't have to figure out tomorrow.
You don't have to manufacture optimism.
You don't have to pretend waiting doesn't hurt.
You don't have to understand what God is doing.

Just ask: What does faithfulness look like today?

Maybe today it means praying again.
Maybe it means resting.
Maybe it means taking one small step.
Maybe it means enjoying something beautiful without feeling guilty that your unanswered prayer is still there.
Maybe it means loosening your grip on the outcome.
Maybe it simply means whispering: “I’ll trust You here.”

"Not yet" doesn't mean God has forgotten you, and while you wait for whatever comes next: God is still with you now.

🌿This Week's Reflection

Take a moment and ask yourself: What am I waiting for right now?

How has the length of the waiting affected the way I think about God?

Have I started interpreting His character through my disappointment?

Perhaps most importantly: Can I trust God even if His answer looks different from the one I've been hoping for?

Don't rush that question. Bring the honest answer to Him.

✍️ Journal Prompt

At the top of your page, write: “While I've been waiting, I've started believing..." Finish the sentence honestly.

Then ask: Is this actually true about God?

Underneath it, write: “What I know to be true about God is...”

List what Scripture tells you about God's character, His faithfulness, goodness, presence, mercy and love.

Then finish with: “While I wait, faithfulness today looks like...”

Choose one thing:

One prayer.
One step.
One act of surrender.
One moment of gratitude.
One decision to live today instead of waiting for tomorrow to begin.

🙏 A Prayer

Heavenly Father,

You know the prayers we've prayed over and over again.
You know the ones we prayed confidently at first and now barely know how to pray anymore.
You know where we're tired of waiting.
Where we're disappointed.
Where we're confused.
Where we've quietly wondered if You've forgotten us.

Forgive us for the times we've allowed what we cannot see to determine what we believe about who You are.
Remind us of Your character.

You are faithful.
You are present.
You are good.
You are still God when the answer hasn't come.

Father, give us wisdom to know when to wait, courage to move when You ask us to move, and humility to surrender the outcome to You. Keep us from putting our lives on hold while we wait for one particular prayer to be answered.

Help us see the gifts You have placed in today.
Help us love the people in front of us.
Help us laugh without guilt.
Rest without fear.
Hope without demanding.
Pray without pretending.
And trust without needing to know the ending.

For the person who has been waiting so long that hope feels dangerous now, draw especially close. Remind them that they have not disappeared from Your sight.

Give them grace for this day.
Not next month's grace.
Not next year's answers.
Just what they need for today.
And if the answer is still not yet, help us say: “I'll trust You here.”

In Jesus' name,
Amen

🌿 A Blessing for Your Week

May you remember this week that an unanswered prayer does not mean an absent God.
May you resist the temptation to measure His faithfulness by your timeline.
May you have courage to keep praying, wisdom to know when to move, and peace when He asks you to wait.
May you refuse to put today's life on hold while waiting for tomorrow's answer.
And when you cannot see what God is doing, may you find rest not in knowing the outcome, but in knowing Him.

If the answer is yes, may you praise Him.
If the answer is no, may He give you grace to surrender.
And if the answer is still "not yet"
May your heart quietly say: “I'll trust You here.”

Until next Tuesday...

With grace, coffee & leggings,
☕ZQueenBee