Work Hard, Pray Harder

Have you ever had a moment or season in your life where you felt like you worked hard and prayed hard, and no matter how hard you worked and prayed, things weren’t changing?

I have. And truthfully, I don’t like it. Honestly, there have been times when I’ve hated this.

Those kinds of moments left me angry and frustrated with myself and with God. I’ve learned that you can work really hard and pray even harder, and sometimes still won’t see or receive the results and answers you were hoping for. You know what they say sometimes—whoever they are when people use that term. If you work hard enough, you can be and do anything you put your mind to. Keep praying, God hears you and He’ll come through. You just need to be patient; things will work out. And more.

Then the pattern continues. Working hard, praying hard. Working harder, praying harder. Working, praying. Maybe wanting to scream and cry or a combination of both when moving through your frustrations. And repeat.

If this sounds like something you’re dealing with or have been through, I want you to know that you’re not alone. You’re not mentally ill. And you’re not going crazy. You just want things to get better and be better too. You want to see the fruits and harvest of all your hard work, labor, and sacrifices. You want to know and see that God hears and is answering your requests. And as crazy and as hard and as frustrating as it might be to follow this advice, do it: Keep working hard and praying harder. God really does hear your requests, and your hard work will not go unnoticed. Everything may not work out as you hoped and when you want it to, but things will unfold as they should at the right time.

Be consistent and tenacious. Before you know it, maybe without noticing, things will begin shifting and then, suddenly, you’ll see the results. I hope your hard work gets noticed by who it needs to get noticed by so you can move forward to what you’re working towards. I hope your sacrifices pay off. I hope God answers your prayers, big and small, and that you experience an abundance of extraordinary blessings. Work hard and pray harder.