When, How, Why

"Contentment is saying: God has me here for a reason, and if He never does anything different, I'll still serve and praise Him."

                 - Kevin DeYoung

Sometimes, in spite of the hand's reluctance, the words write themselves.

When God places a dream in your heart, you wake up with starry eyes and a hopeful heart that feels like it's going to burst. There's that anticipation that you just can't seem to contain.

Days, weeks, months pass, and the stars start to dim. You tell yourself to be patient. You know Psalm 27:14, Jeremiah 29:11, and Mark 11:24 by heart. You know them. You believe them, for the most part. And yet, there's that tiny part of you that wonders--wonders when the waiting will end, wonders why He's holding out, why He's so silent, why He's making you wait in the first place.

I wish I could tell you that He answers every prayer, that He speaks to me whenever I cry out to Him. I wish I could tell you that by now, I can already understand His ways and how He moves.

No, I do not understand His ways--and I know I never will--but I know that His ways are perfect. I don't know His plans, but I know that my plans cannot even compare to their greatness. So in spite of pain, I praise Him. In the midst of trials, I trust Him. When He seems distant, I keep on loving Him.

No, I don't know the answer to every when, every how, every why, but I rest in knowing that He does.