The reason we pray for something isn’t because it’s a passing wish—it’s because our soul has finally found the courage to declare its truest desire. When we ask God for something—whether it’s deep healing, unconditional love, a dream role, or financial freedom—it’s not that we don’t have it yet. It’s that it already exists, but at a future point in our path. Our prayer is simply the soul’s way of saying, “I’m ready to walk toward it. I’m ready for You to prepare me to receive what has always been mine.”

From that moment on, we enter a preparation season. God gives us time, space, and experiences to stretch us into the person who can hold the blessing. We are placed in situations that test our worthiness and faith. We meet people who trigger old wounds so we can finally heal them at the root. We face our inner demons—the voices that whisper, “You’re not good enough,” “It’s impossible,” “You’re dreaming too big.” Patience, trust, forgiveness, surrender—they’re all tested in the dark, long before the light of our answered prayer arrives.

In these seasons, it can feel as if our dreams are moving further away, not closer. Despite showing up, doing the “right” things, following divine nudges, and praying faithfully, nothing seems to shift. The soulmate never appears. The offer never comes. The healing feels slow. The abundance still feels out of reach. It’s easy to believe God misled us—or worse, that we were foolish to believe at all.

When the outside world shows no proof, the war moves inward. Doubt becomes our companion. We question our path, our intuition, even our sanity. We analyze and overanalyze, trying to force the puzzle together. We hustle harder, hoping more effort will move the timeline. But in truth, we’re exhausting ourselves over what was never ours to control.

Here is the truth: when your reality hasn’t yet caught up to the dream in your heart, it isn’t because you’re not ready, worthy, or deserving. It’s because you are so deeply worthy that God refuses to hand you a half-formed version of your blessing. Big dreams require divine orchestration. And orchestration takes time.

Your dream isn’t just about you—it involves others. God may be shaping the job that will meet your needs in ways you can’t yet imagine. He may be equipping the healer with the exact wisdom you’ll one day need. He may be preparing your soulmate, teaching them the lessons that will make them ready to love you fully.

So what if the answer isn’t no, but wait? What if the only missing puzzle piece will fall into place in a week… a month… or a year? If you knew for certain that it would arrive, would you spend today in restless striving—or in joyful trust?

If the waiting period is the answer, you can put down the measuring stick. You can release the idea that you’re behind. You can choose peace now, knowing God is aligning every detail for your highest good. You can decide to savor this exact chapter, so that when your blessing finally arrives, you can look back and say, “I didn’t just endure the waiting—I lived it fully.”