Hold On - God is Working

Have you ever prayed about something for so long that you’ve started to wonder if anything is happening at all?

You keep praying, but the situation looks the same.

The relationship is still strained. The door still hasn’t opened. The healing hasn’t come. The answer you’ve been waiting for seems nowhere in sight.

You’ve tried to trust God. You’ve told yourself to be patient. But if you’re honest, you’re tired of looking at the same dry ground and wondering when something is finally going to change.

I understand. Waiting is hard—especially when there’s no visible evidence that God is doing anything.

But what if the lack of visible change doesn’t mean nothing is happening?

What if God is already working in places you cannot see?

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”—Isaiah 43:19

Only God Can Make Something Out of Nothing

A wilderness cannot create its own river.

Dry ground cannot decide to become fertile. Sand cannot produce water. No matter how long we stare at the ground, we cannot make a river appear where there wasn’t one before.

But God can.

Only God can bring hope out of disappointment, purpose out of pain, and new life out of a place that looked completely empty.

One day there is nothing but dry ground. Then the water begins to flow.

That’s what God can do in our lives.

He can step into the places where we have run out of strength, ideas, and answers. He can create a way forward when we cannot imagine how anything could possibly change.

You may only see the wilderness right now, but God is already creating the river.

The Wilderness Doesn’t Mean God Has Left You

Wilderness seasons can feel lonely. There aren’t many signs to reassure us that we’re headed in the right direction. We can’t see a clear path, and we don’t know how long the season will last.

That’s when the questions begin:

Has God forgotten me?

Did He hear my prayer?

Will this ever change?

How much longer can I keep holding on?

If you’ve asked those questions, it doesn’t mean you don’t have faith. It means you’re human, and you’ve been waiting a long time.

But the wilderness is not proof that God has left you.

Throughout Scripture, God met people in wilderness places. He led the Israelites with a cloud during the day and fire at night. He gave them manna when there was no food. He brought water from a rock when they were thirsty. He cared for Elijah when he was exhausted and ready to give up.

Even Jesus spent time in the wilderness.

The wilderness may feel empty, but it is never empty of God.

He is with you there. He sees you. He knows what you need, and He knows how tired you are.

God Is Working Before You Can See It

We often think change begins when we can finally see it. But God does much of His work in hidden places.

Before a seed pushes through the soil, roots are growing underground. From above, the soil looks exactly the same as it did the day before. But beneath the surface, life has already begun.

Our lives can be like that too.

God may be working in someone’s heart. He may be preparing an opportunity, moving something out of the way, protecting you from what you cannot see, or getting you ready for what comes next.

He may also be doing something within you—strengthening your faith, teaching you to depend on Him, or helping you become more like Jesus.

Just because you cannot see the finished work doesn’t mean God isn’t working.

In Isaiah 43:19, God says:

“Now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?”

It’s almost as if He is saying, “Look again. Pay attention. Don’t miss what I’m beginning because it doesn’t look like the full answer yet.”

The first sign of the river may not be rushing water.

It may be one softened heart.

One unexpected conversation.

One small opportunity.

One moment of peace in the middle of a hard day.

One morning when you realize you don’t feel quite as afraid as you did before.

One new desire to pray after feeling distant from God.

Don’t dismiss the beginning because it seems small.

A small stream is still evidence that the water has started to flow.

Keep Looking at God

When we’re in the wilderness, it’s easy to spend all our time staring at the dry ground.

We look at what hasn’t changed. We think about the prayer that hasn’t been answered. We replay everything that has gone wrong. Without realizing it, we begin to measure God’s faithfulness by what we can see today.

But Isaiah 43:19 shifts our attention away from the wilderness and back to God:

“I will do a new thing.”

“I will make a way.”

“I will provide rivers.”

God does not ask you to create the river.

He doesn’t expect you to have all the answers or figure out how everything is going to work. He simply asks you to keep walking with Him and trust Him with the next step.

Waiting with God doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine. You can tell Him that you’re tired. You can tell Him you don’t understand. You can cry, ask questions, and admit that holding on has become difficult.

He can handle your honesty.

Faith doesn’t always look like standing strong without any fear or doubt. Sometimes faith looks like whispering, “Jesus, I’m still here. Please help me trust You today.”

Don’t Miss the Miracles Around You

Sometimes we become so focused on the one big miracle we’re waiting for that we miss the smaller miracles happening all around us.

We’re looking for the river, so we overlook the morning dew.

We’re waiting for the entire situation to change, but we don’t notice the strength God gave us to make it through another day.

We’re waiting for everything to be restored, but we miss the friend He sent to sit with us.

We’re looking for a dramatic answer, but we overlook the Scripture that reached us at just the right time or the unexpected peace that settled over us in the middle of the night.

Not every miracle arrives with a loud announcement.

Sometimes the miracle is having enough strength for today.

Sometimes it is choosing forgiveness when bitterness would be easier.

Sometimes it is hope returning after you thought you had lost it.

Sometimes it is an unexpected provision, a protected path, a moment of laughter, or the courage to try one more time.

These things may not be the complete answer you’ve been praying for, but they are reminders that God is near.

The wilderness is not empty.

God Can Fill You Again

Waiting can leave us feeling drained. After a while, we may not even recognize ourselves.

Maybe you used to feel hopeful, but now you feel discouraged. Maybe you once prayed with confidence, but now you struggle to find the words. Maybe the disappointment has gone on for so long that you’re afraid to hope again.

God knows what this season has taken out of you.

But He doesn’t promise only a few drops of water. He promises rivers.

A river brings life wherever it flows. It refreshes dry ground. It nourishes what could not grow before. It changes the landscape around it.

God is able to refresh the places in you that have become tired and dry.

Your joy can return.

Your faith can grow again.

Your heart can become tender again.

You can feel hopeful again.

Your life can bear fruit again.

You may not know when or how the river will appear, but the wilderness does not get the final word.

God does.

What Can You Do While You Wait?

You may not be able to change your circumstances today, but you can choose where you place your attention.

Instead of only looking for proof that the whole situation has changed, begin looking for signs that God is with you in it.

Notice the strength He gives you.

Notice the person who checks on you.

Notice the Scripture that speaks to your heart.

Notice the moment of peace you didn’t expect.

Notice the small opening where there used to be only a wall.

Notice that even after everything you’ve been through, something within you still wants to believe.

These may be the first streams appearing in your wilderness.

Jesus understands what it feels like to suffer, wait, and continue trusting the Father when the path ahead is painful. You don’t have to walk through this season by yourself. Stay close to Him. Talk to Him honestly. Let Him carry what has become too heavy for you.

You don’t need enough strength for the entire journey today.

You only need enough faith to take the next step with Jesus.

Your One Step Today

Set aside five quiet minutes and ask God:

“Lord, where are You already working that I may not have noticed?”

Then sit quietly with Him. Don’t force an answer. Think back over the last few days and look for one small sign of His presence, care, provision, or strength.

Write it down somewhere you will see it again.

Let that one reminder help you hold on today.

Questions to Reflect On

1. What part of your life feels like a dry wilderness right now?

2. Have you been measuring God’s faithfulness only by whether your situation has changed?

3. What small signs of God’s presence or provision can you recognize today?

   
   

A Prayer for When You’re Waiting

Father, I’ve been waiting for something to change, and I’m tired. Sometimes I look at my situation and wonder if You are working at all.

Help me remember that You can see what I cannot. You know where the path will open, and You know where the river is beginning to flow.

Keep my eyes on You instead of only on what is missing. Open my heart to the quiet miracles around me—the strength to face another day, the people You send to encourage me, the peace that comes when I need it most, and the small signs that remind me I am not alone.

Where I have become dry and discouraged, fill me again. Where I cannot see a way forward, help me take the next step with Jesus.

I trust that You are still working, even when I cannot see it yet. Help me hold on while You create streams in my wilderness.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Keep Holding On

If you’re sitting in a wilderness today, please don’t give up.

The dry ground you see right now is not the end of your story. God is still present. He is still faithful. He is still working.

Keep looking for Him.

Keep talking to Him.

Keep taking the next step.

The river may not be visible yet, but God is already creating it.

Until we meet again around the kitchen table, remember—you are not walking through this alone. Keep holding on, keep looking for God in the little things, and keep taking the next step with Jesus.

With love and hope,

Maria