"Did You Ask For It?"
The Question That Changed Everything
Ever feel like you’ve been waiting and waiting on something that hasn’t come to pass yet, and hope is waning in your heart?
Maybe, you even began to believe it would never happen, discouragement settled in, and the truth you held onto in your heart was disappointment. You’d waited on God to move on your behalf, and were left still waiting with it unfilled.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12)
What if the one you were waiting on wasn’t God, but you?
So often, we blame God for things and label them “hope deferred” when the real problem is that we’re not doing our part.
I had a solid lesson in this recently. I’d been waiting several months for something. I began to believe it wouldn’t happen, and I resigned myself to needing to let it go. It absolutely felt like hope deferred to me, and I accepted that as my reality, adding it to a list of other things I’d waited on and hadn’t seen come to pass.
Then, I heard God speak to my heart - “Did you ask for it?”
I’m certain that in that moment, my eyebrows shot up, my mouth fell slightly open, and I likely looked like a deer caught in headlights.
No. I hadn’t asked for it.
I had expected it to be offered, and when it wasn’t, it became hope deferred in my heart, instead of recognition that I had shirked my responsibility.
The truth of the matter was that I didn’t want to ask for all kinds of reasons, all of which were rooted in fear of man.
That wasn’t on God. That was on me.
I didn’t feel condemned by God’s question. It felt like a revelation into my soul.
I began to think back through other times I’d chalked up a situation to “hope deferred,” when, if I had only done my part, the outcome would have been different. Instead, I'd shoved the responsibility off on Him to come through for me and harbored disappointment in my heart when it didn't transpire.
Sometimes it feels way easier to blame God than take personal responsibility and make needed changes, especially when those changes are connected to internal workings of the heart.
Next time you feel a sense of “hope deferred,” consider asking God if there’s anything He’s waiting on you to do for it to come to pass.
Like me, you might be amazed at how quickly it transpires when you do your part!
Living for Him,
Andrea
P.S. If you follow me on social, you may have seen me post about an upcoming trip to Australia for The Voice of the Lord National Prophetic Summit. I'm putting my hand to work to help make this trip a reality. If you have a need for remote or in-person work, I'm your girl! I'm not setting any pricing, but trusting God to be my provision. Every task I complete brings me one step closer to Australia. Please reach out if you have a need I can partner with you in accomplishing. Thanks so much!
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