Why do so many of our testimonies happen after God has answered a big prayer? I love it when I see God answer my prayers, especially if it’s something that I’ve been earnestly praying about for a long time. And I love hearing about testimonies when God does something great.
We serve a great God who blesses us more than we could ever imagine. He pours out His blessings on us, and it’s good to praise Him for those beautiful things that He does in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
Today, at the start of 2026, I praise God for so many things. I praise Him for a job that I love and incredible students. I praise God for giving me a roommate who challenges and encourages me. I praise God for friends who point me to God and who sometimes disagree with me. I’m thankful for relationships that can survive conflict. Those are the relationships that will last and go deeper.
But God has not given me one of the things that I long for most.
I have prayed earnestly about this, and I know many friends who are also living with prayers that seem to be receiving either a “no” or a very long “waaaaaaaiiiiiiiit. Nope. Not now. Keep waiting.” More prayers. “How about now, Lord?” “…..”
It’s hard to keep trusting God in that waiting. Does the “wait” mean “no” or “just keep waiting and trusting”? And why don’t we hear testimonies from these times? I think we all live in these times of waiting quite a bit more than we live in the moments of bliss after answered prayer.
Most of us are waiting for something: a husband or a wife, healing from a sickness, a child, a child to return, a job, a house.
All of these things are good. So why does God withhold them from us? We know that it’s not because He doesn’t love us. He proved His love on the cross. And then He promised to come back for us. That was 2,000 years ago. I haven’t been waiting for my answers to prayer that long.
Can we still praise God in these periods of waiting?
I think we can and we should. What if God never gives me this thing that I want? Does that mean that I don’t have a testimony worth sharing?
Absolutely not.
(Oops, too many double negatives—that’s confusing. I definitely do have a testimony worth sharing!)
Last night, my church had an event, and they had several people share testimonies. Most people focused on the happy endings in their testimonies—when God answered their prayers in big ways. That’s beautiful, and we should praise Him for that.
But here, I want to share about how I have prayed for something for years, and it’s a good thing, and God has not yet given it to me. That’s hard.
I hate waiting.
I’m like Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride. “I hate waiting!” He said, then threw a rope to the man that he was preparing to kill so that they could have their sword fight sooner.
How often do I throw a rope to the thing that will destroy me just so that I can avoid waiting?
I have cried a lot of tears as I walk along this road of waiting. Usually, it goes something like: pray, cry, surrender, cry, surrender, pray. Repeat ad nauseam.
But has God ever left me as I walk this difficult path? Has He ever given up on my impatience and my unwillingness to surrender? Not once. He continues to patiently walk beside me, sending me comfort when I am struggling and listening to my endless questions. He shows me when I am putting this desire above Him, and He helps me to surrender once again.
I praise God not because He has given me the happy ending that I have prayed for so often, but because He’s given me something better. He’s given me Himself and told me to just keep waiting. And who knows. Maybe He’ll never give me this thing that I want. Am I ok with that? I want to be.
I praise God not because He gave me what I wanted but because He walks with me on the difficult road of unmet desires. And He reminds me again and again that He loves me (Isaiah 54:10—”Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.) My friend gave me that verse on a card last Valentine’s Day.
I praise God not because He answers every prayer with yes but because He always gives me something better (even though that’s hard to see).
I like testimonies of answered prayer, but today, I choose to praise God even though He hasn’t given me the happy ending that I want.
Hope you all are able to praise God also with or without the happy endings! Happy New Year!
