Oceans in the Desert

By Kathi Pelton

In seasons of pain, loss or waiting it is easy to get stuck in only what is seen with our eyes. After all, isn’t there a saying, “Seeing is believing”? In my life and in the life of most believers— what we see is rarely a true gauge for what God is doing.

God is always working in the place of “beyond what we can see.” It is like a stage manager who, behind the veil (or curtain), is setting everything in place for what is yet to be revealed. Yet, the intended audience only gets to view it when it is completed. Often we wait for the veil or curtain to open in faith, hoping that what is revealed will exceed our expectations.

Many years ago, when my husband and I were trying to adopt our oldest daughter (she was a baby at the time), everywhere we turned became a dead-end or obstacle that was too big for us to cross over. Though we knew that we had clearly heard God’s voice say again and again, “This is your daughter”, we felt like the Israelites before the Red Sea with the Egyptian army coming up behind us.

As months of dead ends and impossible circumstances continued, even some of the strongest believers we knew began their to doubt that we had heard God correctly. All who looked on with their natural eyes at the impossibilities before us counseled us to admit that we had made a mistake and to move on. We even had the judge on her case say to me (with great force), “You don’t have a prayer!”

But…that is exactly what we had!

After almost a year of believing and fighting against impossible odds we miraculously received our promises and were given a date that she would enter our home and become our daughter. We were ecstatic— God had done the impossible, just as he had spoken to us. We set up her nursery, hung her photos all around our home and our family and friends showered us with little pink dresses and all the things that she would need. It was such a joyous and beautiful time for us and for all who were a part of our lives.

Then, two weeks before she was to come home with us a new circumstance arose. Her social worker informed us that we had lost her once again and time it was final— our case was being closed. No words can describe our grief. We had gone through years of infertility and now had fallen in love with a baby girl that God had said was our daughter— but she was gone and being place with another family.

In the following weeks we wept and we grieved deeply. We also wondered if we had ever truly heard God’s voice. Our hope was shaken and our hearts were broken. But what we did not see was that God was doing something behind the what we could see that was beyond anything that we could ask or imagine.

Though it would take an entire book to tell you of all the intricate details that God was doing behind the scene (or the seen), two months after we lost her, our phone rang and it was the case supervisor over her placement asking us if we wanted to pick up our baby girl the next day!

What we thought was finished and we had died to, He was resurrecting without our knowledge. The next day she was in our arms— as our daughter! We kissed every one of her fingers and toes and stared at her for hours and hours. She even took her first step that day, right into my arms. Though we could not see God working, He was! He was working in the place “beyond the seen.”

Many of you may find yourselves in a similar place. Maybe what is “seen” contradicts what you thought you heard. The current losses may seem to outweigh any possible victory. But, in your place of waiting, wondering, and wrestling— remember that God never stops working.

“Be still and know…” Psalm 46:10

Hear Him as He speaks over you, “Beloved, I am not finished yet.”

No matter what you are facing or what your eyes see— He never stops working on your behalf. His promise in Jeremiah 29:11 is still true!

“For I know the plans I have for you” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
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You may have woke up this morning feeling deep sorrow but the Lord’s declaration is that He will give you a future and a hope. You may not see any hope with your eyes but He is working behind the scenes. He makes paths in the wilderness and refreshing pools in desert wastelands for those who wait upon Him and put their trust in Him.

“Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners who still have hope! I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.” Zechariah 9:12

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