Think for a second about your biggest frustration, disappointment, or fear.  Where do you feel God has absolutely left you or forsaken you?  Where do you feel close to hopeless?  We all have these moments at some point in our lives.  We all have desert moments.  We all have desperate moments.

God has this really interesting habit of setting up our biggest breakthroughs right on the other side of our biggest frustrations.  I am discovering more and more that this is often how God operates.  God is still God even when he feels distant to us.  In other words, there isn’t always a direct correlation between how close God feels and how much God is moving in our lives.

This doesn’t mean that we should stop fervently seeking after God with all our heart, but it does mean that we should never lose hope when we feel he doesn’t answer the way we expect.  Or in the timing we expect.  Almost every major figure in the Bible went through a difficult or frustrating desert season prior to God using their lives to make a major impact. 

Abraham became frustrated by God’s timing before the birth of his child at an old age.  Joseph was thrown in jail before saving his people.  Moses hung out with sheep before leading the Israelites out of Egypt.  David was chased from his home and attacked by an army prior to becoming king.  The disciples lost hope and believed Jesus to be dead before his resurrection and good news.

It’s in the darkest moments that God can shine the brightest.  I am convinced that God sometimes waits until these frustrating moments to move because He is most glorified when he shows up during these times.  If He shows up when everything is great, it is easy to take credit ourselves.  Instead, God shows up when it is clear that His hand was at work.

Now, there is no guarantee that God is going to change your current life situation.  God is God.  He sovereignly chooses how and when to operate.  This looks different for different people.  Despite this, God is in the miracle business.  God is in the business of setting up our best moments right on the other side of defeat.  So, wherever you are today, realize there is always a tomorrow.  And every tomorrow is God’s.