As Christians, we ask God for a lot. Comfort, peace, strength; happy times, love, friendship; good grades, dream job, a family. We ask Him for so many things ranging from simple, mundane things to extraordinary miracles. What all of them have in common, though, is we simply are seeking answers — we are crying out asking for Him to make Himself known to us and to make His plan for us clear; however, a lot of times we don’t get the crystal clear answer we’re hoping for.

We get mixed signals or we get no signals at all. That’s the funny thing about God and prayers, though. He oftentimes never gives us exactly what we’re looking and asking for. A lot of people can find unrest in this. A lot of people can give up on the thought of Him working in their life since they can’t directly see it.

What these people don’t recognize is that there is beauty in all of His signs for us — the unclear, mixed messages and the no clear messages at all often allow us seasons of growth. The unclear or mixed messages allow us to make a choice, sometimes we make the wrong one but even those wrong choices ultimately lead us to His plan. The unanswered prayer is a lot of times just His way of answering our prayers by telling us whatever we’re asking for is not in His plan at all.

We can do as we please and make all the plans we want, but in the end, He is always there and listening and leading us to the life He has planned for us. Through all of the mixed messages and unanswered prayers, He isn’t trying to trick us and He isn’t ignoring us — He is leading us to Him. We all just have to have a little faith.

“We may roll the dice, but the Lord determines how they’ll fall.” — Proverbs 16:33