God Is Working Even When We Can’t See It
Trusting the Slow Work of God
We live in a world that demands immediate results. Click a button, and information appears. Order something online, and it arrives the next day. We measure progress by what we can see, count, and check off a list.
So when it comes to our spiritual lives—especially prayer—it’s easy to grow discouraged when we don’t see immediate change.
We pray for healing, and nothing happens.
We seek clarity, and only feel more confused.
We try to listen to God, and all we hear is silence.
And so we wonder: Is God even doing anything?
Henri Nouwen’s words remind us of an important truth: God is always working, even when we don’t realize it.
The Hidden Work of God
Think about the most meaningful relationships in your life. The people who have shaped you, loved you, walked with you through the ups and downs.
When you were in those moments—sitting across from them, sharing meals, living life—you probably didn’t realize the depth of what was happening. It’s only later, looking back, that you see just how much those moments mattered.
The same is true of God’s work in our lives.
We want immediate, obvious results, but God often works quietly, slowly, beneath the surface. Like seeds growing underground. Like a friendship deepening over years. Like love forming in the unseen spaces between conversations.
The Gift of Looking Back
Nouwen points out that the most important things in life are often too central to be fully experienced in the moment. We only understand their significance later.
How often have you looked back on a season of your life and realized:
That time of waiting was actually preparing you for something greater.
That season of pain was teaching you resilience and compassion.
That period of silence from God was when your faith was deepening in ways you couldn’t yet understand.
What feels like nothing happening may actually be the most important work of all.
Trusting the Slow Work of God
We don’t like waiting. We don’t like uncertainty. But what if we trusted that God is doing something, even when we can’t see it?
When you pray and feel nothing—keep praying. God is present.
When life feels stagnant—stay faithful. Growth is happening.
When you can’t hear God—keep listening. He is speaking in ways you don’t yet recognize.
One day, you’ll look back and realize: something was happening all along.
So today, take a deep breath. Rest in the unseen work of God. You don’t have to feel it for it to be real. You don’t have to see it for it to be true.
God is moving.
Even now.
Even here.
Even when you don’t realize it.
