Staying Faithful Even When I Don’t See Results Yet - Your Nightly Scripture - October 6th

Your Nightly Scripture

Audio By Carbonatix

By Alisha Headley, Crosswalk.com

Staying Faithful Even When I Don’t See Results Yet

Evening Scripture

Galatians, Chapter 6

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct. Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.

Don’t be misled — you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to those in the family of faith.

Notice what large letters I use as I write these closing words in my own handwriting. Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. And even these who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples.

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.

May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus. Dear brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Evening Reflection

There have been seasons in my life when staying faithful felt exhausting. I was praying the same prayers, trying to trust God, taking the next step, and doing everything I knew to do — but nothing seemed to be changing. And when you’ve been faithful for a long time without seeing results, it’s easy to wonder if you can continue for much longer.

Throughout Galatians 6, Paul reminds us to carry one another’s burdens, examine our own actions, continue doing what is good, and pay attention to what we are sowing. There’s an important theme running through all of it: the way we live today matters, even when we cannot immediately see fruit.

I love that Scripture doesn’t pretend we won’t get tired. God knows faithfulness can become exhausting when we can’t see where it’s headed. He knows what it costs to pray again after disappointment, to choose obedience when it would be easier to quit, and to continue believing when circumstances seem unchanged.

For years, I prayed to be able to bear my own children. There were times when I wondered whether anything was happening at all. Sometimes the waiting made me question whether all those prayers were accomplishing anything. But looking back, I can see that God was working in places I couldn’t see yet. He was strengthening my faith, teaching me surrender, and showing me that faithfulness isn’t only about receiving the outcome I’m hoping for.

That season taught me something I still remind myself of: Unseen progress is still progress. Galatians 6 uses the imagery of planting and harvesting, and planting requires faith. When you first put a seed into the ground, nothing visible happens. For a while, the ground looks exactly the same. But beneath the surface, something may already be happening.

Maybe something in your life feels like that tonight. Maybe you’ve been showing up faithfully in a season where nobody seems to notice. Maybe you’ve been choosing obedience again and again while wondering when you’ll finally see something come from it.

Don’t let the absence of visible results convince you that your faithfulness is wasted.

Galatians 6 reminds us that we aren’t responsible for forcing the harvest. We’re responsible for faithfully sowing what God has placed in our hands. And notice Paul’s words: “At just the right time.” There is a timing to the harvest that belongs to God. That can be difficult. We want reassurance that if we keep doing the right thing, the result we want will eventually appear. But faith asks us to trust God not only with the seed, but also with the timing and the outcome.

You don’t need evidence tonight that something is growing in order to keep believing that God is at work. Keep planting what is good. Keep trusting God with what you cannot see. And remember: just because nothing has broken through the soil yet doesn’t mean nothing is happening underneath it.

Evening Prayer

Father,

Thank You for seeing every seed I have planted in faith, including the ones that haven’t produced anything I can see yet. You know where I am tired of waiting and where disappointment has made me wonder whether continuing to hope is worth it.

Forgive me, Lord for at times wanting to give up. Help me not to grow weary in doing what is good. When I cannot see progress, remind me that You are still working.

Strengthen me in places where I feel tired, discouraged, or tempted to give up. Lord, show me what You’re asking me to faithfully sow in this season. And when I become impatient, remind me that You see what I cannot. Tonight, I release my need to control the outcome. Give my weary heart rest tonight and fresh faith to keep going tomorrow.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

How did tonight’s scripture speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Your Nightly Scripture forum discussion.

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Alisha Headley is a writer + speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Stepping into her true calling, she left the corporate world behind as a former-financial VP to love on her family as a stay-at-home wifey + dog mama, while also being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom + power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God’s word. In her free time, Alisha enjoys road trips around the country, working out so she can eat her favorite foods, and creatively styling her outfits with a craft for fashion. Alisha is a proud wifey and dog mama living in Scottsdale, Arizona.

You can follow her blog by visiting her website alishaheadley.com or connect with her on facebook + instagram.

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