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I was in the exact place I had been recently: frustrated, discouraged, and doubtful.

For weeks I sought the Lord, desiring to see a miraculous change in my life, only to be met with silence. Every day I was determined and pressed on. But day after day as the circumstances around me stayed the same, my frustration and doubt grew.

One Sunday morning, I felt I had to get away, so I went to our local reservoir for a walk. I had to clear my head and heart. My mind was on overload with so many thoughts—almost none of them positive. While walking, I unloaded every thought and emotion onto God. I was tired.

“I am angry and confused. God, please let me know You hear me and are still there,” I prayed.

I’ve been a Christian for some time and know God will never leave or forsake me. But there are moments when the pain and darkness dim any glimmer of light. After pouring out my heart, I became silent. I was holding onto so much. Not until I let go could God have room to work.

As I reached the halfway point around the reservoir, I was stopped by a massive tree. I stood still, and in that moment, the Lord spoke. The tree wasn’t always this large. It was once a tiny seed that created roots so it could be stable and grow strong to withstand the storms it would face. And this growing process took years. God’s comfort swept over me.

I can get so caught up in what I see or don’t see that I fail to remember God’s ways are not my ways. His thoughts are not even close to what I think. This walk of life is a process, not a project. I, too, start as a seed and have my own growing process—which doesn’t happen overnight.

Change and growth will happen, but we need to be planted in good soil and have exposure to light as well as food from God’s Word. Life is a journey of learning and growth—and moments of struggling through the valley and standing on the mountaintop. 

God is still speaking and working no matter what we see or how we feel. 

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)