When God Isn't Responding

Ever feel unseen? Misjudged? Passed over?

You are not alone. 

Jesus, the perfect Son of God, spent 18 years in complete obscurity between the ages of 12 and 30. No stage. No followers. No miracles. Just silence. Hiddenness.

But that hiddenness wasn’t waste. It was preparation (Heb 5:8).

When God delays your breakthrough…when no one sees what you carry…when your prayers feel unanswered...He’s not ignoring you. He’s forming you.

“If God is mostly interested in who we are becoming, then seasons of hiddenness are not a waste...they are a gift.” — Alicia Britt Chole

God calls out to Israel, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord…’?” (Isaiah 40:27)

Israel was basically saying, "God, why do you not see my situation? Do you not see what I am going through right now? Why do You not respond???" 

In His response, God reminds her:

1. He is the Creator.

2. He never grows tired.

3. His understanding is infinite (Isaiah 40:28). 

Translation? He knows exactly what He’s doing — even when you don’t.

And then He says, 

"Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary" (Isa 40:31).

This is the only instruction in this entire passage: wait for the Lord. 

Just wait? 

Yes. 

Keep going. Keep building. But wait on His answer. 

And your faith will grow, faith you are going to need a lot of as your business excels. 

The Blacksmith’s Son
Deep in the dark ages lived a blacksmith. The people loved him for his craft, outmatching even the most experienced blacksmiths for miles around. The blacksmith had a son named Eli. Day after day Eli begged his father to let him forge his own sword. 

“You’re too young,” his father objected. 

“Please, Dad. How will I ever learn if I don’t start?” 

The blacksmith smiled and finally agreed, but under one condition: he must wait and watch first.

So the next morning, the boy came to the forge. Day after day, he stood beside his father and watched as fire consumed metal, as hammer struck glowing steel, as water hissed when the hot blade was plunged into the basin.

It looked violent. Painful. Confusing.

One evening, as a storm rolled in, the father left to help a neighbor. Unwilling to wait any longer, the boy entered the workshop. 

He stared up at the anvil. “If my father really loved me, he’d let me start forging,” he said to himself.  

Eli grabbed a piece of metal, lit the fire, and began to pound.

The fury of sparks inspired him as he struck harder and faster. But one hit missed and the sword began to slip. Eli instinctively grabbed the blade. He dropped the blade and screamed in pain. 

When his father returned he immediately knew what happened. 

“Let me see your hand son.” 

Eli slowly lifted his marred hand. “Son, you need to see a doctor.” Hours later the doctor concluded that his son would never hold a sword with his right hand.  

Tears welled in Eli’s eyes. “Dad, why didn’t you help me?”

“I am helping you, Eli. Every blow, every delay, every unanswered moment is not neglect. It’s formation. I’m not just giving you a sword…I’m giving you the strength to carry it.”

“But dad, this is my sword hand,” he wept as he held up his mangled hand. “How will I ever weld a sword?” 

“By learning how to use your left, son,” his dad replied. “It will take longer now. But if you trust me and wait on me, your time will come.” 

You are not behind.
You are not forgotten.
You are being forged.