When my daughter was three, we enrolled her in a summer camp. The kind couple who ran the camp had a garden in their balcony. Potted plants of all kinds grew happily together in that little space.
Always interested in planting something new, my husband was delighted to receive a few fern seeds as a gift from them. He eagerly planted them in a pot, watered them, and watched every morning as we sat sipping our chai.
He waited for the little shoots to poke their tips above the soil. Nothing. He waited some more. Still, nothing. Six months went by. I suggested that perhaps we should use the pot for another plant.
When I invest time in something, I like to see results. And surely, it’s not just me. Our world today prizes impact, outcomes, and numbers, and expects these almost instantaneously. But what if we don’t get those results? Those answers?
What happens when you have been doing everything you can — praying, serving, forgiving, teaching, trusting — but nothing seems to be happening?
No little plant breaking through the soil.
No change of heart.
No miracle.
No clear answer from heaven.
Waiting in the dark
Are you in that space today? In the in-between. The not quite yet. Maybe you’re asking, “Is this it? Is this what I had been working/praying/waiting for? Is there no more?”
One of scripture’s greatest figures had a similar question. And his story holds the answer, too.
John the Baptist — the wild prophet, dressed in camel’s hair, and eating locusts. A voice crying out, preparing hearts, preparing the way, giving it his all, holding nothing back. Yet, his part in God’s great plan ended with him standing at the edge of fulfilment. He did not see the work of salvation accomplished on the cross. He did not see the Resurrection or witness the Spirit fall at Pentecost.
In fact, he did not even see Christ in action, sowing seeds in the very soil he had prepared. He did not witness the crowds fed or healed or transformed. He merely heard about it all, while he sat on the cold prison floor, alone and likely confused. He had given everything to prepare the way. He had trusted completely. And now, he waited in the dark, hearing second-hand reports about Jesus.
So he sent a question to Jesus.
and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”
John the Baptist, the firebrand prophet, the faithful forerunner, was worried perhaps. But Jesus didn’t rebuke him. Instead, the gentle Saviour reminded John of God’s promises through the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”
In other words: Yes, John. Trust in My plan. I am working. Even if you can’t see it from where you are right now.
John’s question is familiar. It brings back to me all the times I’ve waited in the dark and wondered, “Lord, is this it? When is my answer coming? Aren’t you sending one?” And even when my heart, cold with worry, hasn’t been attentive, He has answered. He has always come through while I waited in the dark. My part was to ask, to wait, with hope, always with hope.
At work in the quiet
So as the Church celebrates the feast of John the Baptist today, look at John, who waited. And whose work bore rich fruit, a hundred-fold; nay, more. Throw aside your worries with the certainty that even when the answers don’t come, the doors stay closed, and nothing seems to move, God is at work in the quiet.
When you still feel hurt, He is healing.
When that relationship still seems broken, He is restoring.
When the doors of a heart appear hard and closed, He is at work within.
Oh, and that pot? The empty one, which I suggested would be better off used for something else? Well, my husband waited. About eight months after the seeds had been sown, a baby fern poked its head through the soil. It went on to grow into a verdant lace that ran around our grill. While nothing was happening above the ground, roots were growing beneath. My astonishment was met with a thoughtful glance by my husband. “At the appointed time,” he said, remembering the words of scripture.
So if you’re waiting in the dark, remember all that He has done before. All the promises He has kept. And know that even when you don’t see the fruit, the ground beneath is teeming with change and God is working in the quiet.
I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
An invitation
Is there something you’ve been faithfully showing up for but feeling discouraged because of what you don’t see? Sit in stillness today and tell Him so. Then, hand it over to Him — not demanding answers, but asking for trust. For peace, not in the future, but in the now, in the waiting.
Because sometimes faith is in the waiting, in staying the course, in hoping, even when all is still quiet.
In His love,
Hey Velany, this such a timely reminder, especially in times that we are living to trust the Lord even when we can’t see what He is doing . Trusting Him for our family, ourselves for the world.
So true, Laveena!
Dear Velany,
Had tears in my eyes reading, such a soul stirring article. Loved it and felt as if it was written for me. Yes, no matter what, we must keep trusting in the Lord with all our heart! God bless you, keep writing and looking forward to the next one.
Praise God for speaking to us wherever we are! Thank you, Sandra!
Very Nice Velany, proud of you for this initiative.. All the best for this project.. looking forward to read more of your blogs on faith.
Thank you, Fleeshia. Praise God!
Edified by your God-given talent
What a beautiful talent of writing God has endowed you with. God has blessed every person with a talent. You are a noble inspiration of how to use one’s God-given talent to build up the Church and for the edification of all. Remain steadfast in your fervour for Christ – our Redeemer and for His Church.
Thank you, Ian. God bless!