Have you ever believed for something for so long that you finally reached the point where you decided to stop hoping for it? Maybe you even started telling yourself you didn’t want it anymore. Sometimes, when disappointment hangs around long enough, we start developing resentment toward the very thing we once prayed for.
Marriage is one area where this happens. Both men and women can reach a point where their desire for marriage becomes mixed with disappointment, frustration, and even bitterness. I hear comments like, “There are no good men left”, and a lot of us buy into that one. But how can that be true when God is still God? What I mean by that is, God never runs out of resources. He has not run out of good men, good women, or the ability to bring two people together. Sometimes, however, we become so discouraged by what hasn’t happened that we start operating outside of faith.
Giving up hope is easy when we take our eyes off God. He isn’t withholding blessings from us. His Word promises in Psalm 84:11 (NLT), “For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.”
This verse encourages us to put our wholehearted faith in God. But we also need to understand that there’s a difference between having faith in the thing we hope for and having faith in the One who created the entire universe. Having faith in God means believing that He is able to do all things, that He loves us, and that He wants what is good for us, even when things don’t work out the way we planned.
When our faith becomes more about receiving the blessing than trusting the One who gives it, we run the risk of allowing the blessing to take God’s place. And that’s something we have to guard against. We can become so focused on what we want God to do that we lose sight of who He is. Our hope should never rest on whether we get the marriage, the relationship, or the answer we’ve been praying for. Our hope rests in God. He is still good, He is still faithful, and He is forever and always worthy of our trust.
Sometimes God will allow us to continue waiting for something we’ve been praying for because He knows that if we receive it before our hearts are in the right place, we may begin to give it the attention and devotion that belong to Him alone. Deuteronomy 6:5 (NLT) says, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” This is non-negotiable. There’s no getting around this standard. When we’ve been in a season of waiting longer than we anticipated, it’s not a time to get discouraged. It’s an opportunity to examine our hearts and ask God to reveal anything that may be interfering with our willingness to put Him first. We also have to understand that not every delay means something is wrong with us. Sometimes God is working in ways we cannot see, and we have to trust His wisdom and timing.
Regardless of how long we’ve been waiting, we don’t have to pretend we no longer want what we’ve been asking God for. We can continue praying, believing, and seeking Him. Just because He hasn’t answered our prayers according to our timetable doesn’t mean we should stop seeking Him. We may need to examine the way we’re asking and the motivation behind our requests, but we must also be willing to accept that God’s answer may be different from what we expected. He’s not ignoring us or turning a blind eye to our desires. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT), “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” As long as we keep our eyes on the true prize, which is knowing God and growing in our relationship with Him, we can trust that He will provide everything we need according to His wisdom and Will. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Don’t Give Up Hope”,written by KLizzie for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2026. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
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