"If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast to him—then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you." (Deuteronomy 11:22-23)

From the depths of our hearts, we long to answer those "why" questions in our lives. I believe that sometimes we stand at the feet of God and want all the answers at once. We feel as though the prayers we've prayed for so long will never come true, and we start losing hope. I understand those feelings, because I've experienced those feelings. I too have wrestled with unanswered prayers, and for some time now, felt hopeless.

"Where are you God?" "Why do I feel like this?" "Why does this hurt so bad?"

But we often forget in those times, the reasons behind them. God doesn't get satisfaction from seeing us in pain, but He does use that pain to prepare us - to prepare us for our paradise. In this broken world, we will experience difficulty and disappointment, but God uses that for good, not evil.

"We can't be surprised by what we are prepared for. We have to be ready. Lions never walk flat footed. They walk on their toes, ready to run." -Levi Lusko

Just like Jesus broke the bread before He multiplied it, and served it to the 5,000, He will have to break us to multiply us. It's a hard season, but it's also a beautiful one. He is creating a beautiful masterpiece out of you. He is making you into a beautiful creation. Soon you will see the abundant blessings He has bestowed upon you, and you will realize that the suffering is only temporary.

My sweet friend, God has not abandoned you and He has not forgotten about you. Every tear you've shed does not go unnoticed by Heaven.

God always puts to use what we go through. I don't know how long you've been wrestling with this pain, but I do know that we cannot accomplish anything with our own will power. We have to do it with and through God's power. Just like Jesus said in the story, never forget to turn to Him and trust His almighty power. Pray & seek.

God will show you all that is being done. He will eventually show you the beauty of your pain. There will be storms there. When they come, turn to Him. He will comfort you and protect you. He will cover you with His grace and you will be overwhelmed by His love. He will never leave you to walk through this storm alone. He will always be here beside you, and your faith in Him will be your strongest weapon. Trust His plan even when it gets hard.

Remember that what is ahead is worth it - the future is worth it.