I Am Unhappy: Finding Joy When My Heart Is HeavySample

Wait With Expectation

Waiting is one of the hardest parts of following God.

We want joy now. We want answers now. We want relief now. But God often shapes joy in the waiting – not the quick fix.

Elijah knew this struggle well. After a great spiritual victory on Mount Carmel, he suddenly found himself running for his life. Exhausted and overwhelmed, he collapsed under a broom tree and prayed that it would all just end.

“I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” – 1 Kings 19:4 (NIV)

This was not a superhero prophet moment. This was deep despair.

God’s response was gentle. He didn’t condemn Elijah’s sadness or question his faith. He simply cared for him.

• God gave him rest
• God fed him
• God let him regain strength

Then God led Elijah on a long journey to Mount Horeb – the place where Moses met God. It took forty days and nights to get there.

That is waiting. That is persistence. That is God preparing Elijah for something Elijah could not yet see.

When Elijah finally reached the mountain, God spoke – but not in the earthquake or the fire or the wind. Joy did not return through dramatic spectacle.

It came through a gentle whisper.

God does some of His deepest heart work in the quiet, in the time between the prayer and the answer. Waiting is where faith grows roots. It’s where hope matures from something fragile into something that can withstand storms.

David wrote:

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.” – Psalm 130:5 (NIV)

Waiting is not doing nothing.
Waiting is trusting when you cannot see.
Waiting is worship while life feels unfinished.

God is not absent in the waiting. He is active – just not always visible.

Sometimes the breakthrough comes long after we think we should have received it. But God has never been late. Not once in history. He arrives at exactly the right moment, bringing exactly the joy we need.

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

Notice – strength doesn’t come before the waiting. It comes through the waiting.

So if your joy feels delayed…
If your prayers feel unanswered…
If your heart feels tired…

Do what Elijah did: rest, breathe, take the next step God puts in front of you. Keep waiting. Keep hoping.

Joy is not gone. It is growing.

God is preparing something on the mountain ahead – and when you arrive, His whisper will meet you there.