A Prayer When You Feel Forgotten in a Waiting Season - Your Daily Prayer - October 14

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A Prayer When You Feel Forgotten in a Waiting Season
By Alisha Headley

Bible Reading
“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15–16)

Listen or Read Below:

One of the hardest parts about waiting isn’t always the waiting itself—it’s wondering if God has forgotten you. Maybe you’ve prayed the same prayer so many times that you feel like a broken record. Maybe you’ve watched other people’s dreams come true right in front of you, while yours seem to remain untouched. And maybe you’ve quietly wondered, God… have You forgotten about me?

I know that feeling because I’ve lived it. For years, I prayed for a child. Month after month brought another negative pregnancy test. Then came five heartbreaking pregnancy losses, countless IVF appointments, endless needle injections, waiting rooms, and more tears than I could count. There were seasons when it felt like everyone else was gaining while I was painfully losing. It felt like God remembered everyone, while I felt forgotten.

I trusted Him and believed He loved me, but if I’m honest, there were nights when I wondered why my story looked so different. I wrestled with questions I was almost afraid to say out loud. God, do You still see me? Have You forgotten about us?

Then I came across Isaiah 49.

God asks a question that almost seems impossible: “Can a mother forget her nursing child?” Of course not. A mother’s love is one of the strongest loves we know. Yet God says that even if that impossible thing could happen, He never could. Stop and pause at this incredible promise.

Looking back now, I can see something I couldn’t see while I was in the middle of my waiting. God never forgot me—not for a single day, not for a single moment. While I was pleading for Him to answer one prayer, He was writing a story far greater than I could imagine. He was strengthening my faith, shaping my character, and preparing my heart for the blessing that would come in His perfect timing.

His silence was never Him forgetting me. His delay was never His rejection. And His timing was never a reflection of His love for me or my worth.

Maybe your waiting looks different than mine. Maybe you’re praying for healing, reconciliation, a spouse, a child, financial breakthrough, or simply for life to make sense again. Whatever you’re waiting for, this promise belongs to you, too. As the promise says at the end of today’s verse, to not forget -- that your name is written on the palms of His hands. You are not forgotten. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for being the God who never forgets Your children. Even when my circumstances make me sometimes question where You are, Your Word reminds me that Your love never changes, even when You seem silent at times. Thank You for writing my name on the palms of Your hands and for holding every detail of my life with perfect care.

Lord, I know what it feels like to wait. I know what it’s like to pray the same prayer over and over again, wondering if You’re listening and wondering if somehow, I’ve been forgotten. I know what it’s like to celebrate with others while quietly grieving what hasn’t happened yet in my own life. There were seasons when I wondered if You had forgotten me. But today, I thank You that You never did and never will.

When we feel discouraged or exhausted by waiting, please draw near to us and remind us that You are still at work, even when we cannot see it. Replace every lie that says You’ve abandoned us with the truth that You are a faithful Father who always keeps His promises.

Father, strengthen our faith while we wait. Teach us to trust Your heart even when we cannot trace Your hand. Help us to believe that Your delays are never without purpose and that You are writing a story more beautiful than we could ever imagine. Keep us from comparing our timeline to someone else’s and forgive us for the time we have been discontent in our own story. Help us rest in the confidence that Your timing is always perfect.

Thank You for every tear You collected, every prayer You heard, and every moment You were working behind the scenes when I couldn’t see it.

Today, we choose to believe that we are deeply loved and never forgotten. We trust You with what we cannot understand, and we surrender our season of waiting into Your faithful hands.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Go Deeper: How God Uses  Long Waiting Seasons to Bless and Grow Us

Do long waiting seasons leave you feeling anxious, disoriented, and discouraged, particularly when they involve something for which you deeply long? Obviously, we can't "hurry" God along or "force His hand," but we can learn to wait in a way that strengthens our faith, deepens our relational intimacy with Christ, and prepares us for the very good plans He's forged uniquely for each of us. In this episode, Dove Award nominee, singer/songwriter Jamie Jangochian shares how God used her long battle with Lyme disease to bring about growth and reveal the new dreams He had for her. She also shares how to recognize the lies that hold us back, find inner healing through our interaction with Christ, and view our waiting seasons not as disappointments but divine appointments that prepare us for our next assignments. If this episode helps you face fear with God's confidence, be sure to follow Faith Over Fear on Apple or Spotify so you get new episodes every week!

Join the conversation! Share how today’s devotional spoke to you on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: Unsplash

Alisha Headley is a writer + speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Stepping into her true calling, she left the corporate world behind as a former-financial VP to love on her family as a stay-at-home wifey + dog mama, while also being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom + power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God’s word. In her free time, Alisha enjoys road trips around the country, working out so she can eat her favorite foods, and creatively styling her outfits with a craft for fashion. Alisha is a proud wifey and dog mama living in Scottsdale, Arizona.

You can follow her blog by visiting her website alishaheadley.com or connect with her on facebook + instagram.

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