Here in Belize, between March and May we experience our driest months when there’s little to no rainfall. While growing up, my sister Jarelli and I loved the rain because it made the days much cooler. I remember one particularly dry year when the heat was so unbearable, we decided to pray for rain. Jarelli was around 8 years old, and I was around 9. We earnestly believed that if we prayed and asked God for rain, it was going to happen. Mind you, we were right in the middle of the dry season, but we started praying regardless. We prayed every day. Still, it would not rain. We looked at the sky, trying to spot rain clouds, just to feel hopeful. Still, no rain. Weeks went by without any rain, and we started feeling discouraged. Everything around us was just so dry and dusty. Riding our bicycles to and from school was draining, and at night, instead of the fan blowing cool air, it blew hot air.

Even though there was no rain in sight to cool down the atmosphere, we kept on praying.

Then very late one night, our dad woke us up. “Rain!” he said. “It’s raining!” We followed him to the open front door so we could see. And it was pouring! Jarelli and I started hollering and jumping for joy! We trusted God, and now it was finally raining! That night, we slept like babies, soothed by the sound of raindrops on the roof.

Many times, we trust God for things, such as finances, health, a new house, or even marriage. We pray asking for these things, and we trust that He is going to come through for us. However, when months, weeks, or years go by without God giving us what we have been praying for, discouragement sets in, and we start to believe that God is not hearing us. We think He does not see our needs or wants. In these times, it might even be hard to keep pursuing God.

However, I’ve learned that it is in those seasons when we should seek God even more.

Psalm 40:1 says, “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.” Sometimes, waiting can be hard. But David, the psalmist, encourages us to be patient and believe that our prayers will be answered. If it is God’s will, in His perfect time we will get to enjoy our rain, as Jarelli and I did.

Let us not be consumed by the prayers we don’t see answered. Instead, let’s start thanking God for the prayers he has already answered. Let’s ask Him to help us to be patient in waiting for His timing, and to fully surrender our desires to Him, even if we don’t yet see any sign of rain.

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