How to hold on to faith when you see everyone you prayed for receiving blessings but your own valid needs don’t seem to be answered?

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@chrishannaJul 17

What really helps me is offering whatever I’m praying for or going through for the redemption of souls.

I always have this thought in the back of my mind that maybe someone will benefit from what I’m going through especially souls. If God can use my suffering to save souls or bring someone closer to Him, it gives me peace that atleast my suffering is not pointless. Of course I have my days when even this feels hard but 8 out of 10 times it always works!
(Romans 8:28)

@maria_26Jul 17

I have been doing that too most days,but lately it’s been tough seeing others in my prayer circle getting prayers answered ,makes me wonder what more is God trying to teach me ,what is the criteria or is it coz I have been not praying properly.Thoughts like that

@chrishannaJul 18

It feels like we are in a similar season, seeing others with their prayers answered. In my case, I have time and again, got the verses related to continue waiting on the Lord, of course not passively but actively and expectantly. I have just accepted it’s not at all within my control. So everyday especially one of those really, really heavy days - I just ruminate on Exodus 14:14 just reminding myself I cannot do anything but God and what God has asked me to do right now is wait and wait with hope. I also just tried another method for my mental peace, I made two columns with the things I can do and things I cannot do and the I try to map the verse where God specifically talks about such things and it just makes it clear that - ok God is doing something behind the scenes and I just gotta hope and wait.

@mau_wavJul 23

Beyond the common knowledge that God's timing is perfect and that his plans are always better, recently I've learned from others that our judgment of our own needs is also very limited. Only God can see the fruits of the specific path he laid out for you, including the waiting, the suffering, the grasping for him when we feel discouraged. So that makes my brain think that I shouldn't worry too much. I find peace in my smallness. I think it was Mother Angelica that said that you can only see God's will in the rearview mirror, so I try to remember all the times I've had my answers, just not in the way I expected them. Hope this helps!

@lucaJul 25

I was reading Evagrius Ponticus “On prayer / Praktikos” book and this paragraph reminded me of the question @maria_26 and @chrishanna made:

DO not become distressed if you do not receive at once from God [your] request; he wishes to benefit you even more as you continue steadfastly in prayer (Rom 12:12). For what is higher than conversation with God and being taken up with [conversational] intercourse with him?