God, What Am I Missing?

God, What Am I Missing?

Have you ever had days or even weeks where no matter what you did, nothing seemed to go right?

Your conversations, your kindness, your actions, your choices — nothing seemed to work out.

I have become so frustrated with myself because it seemed like no matter what I did or said, I was misunderstood, not fully heard, or something else entirely. I knew I had to be the problem because everyone around me seemed to have no trouble communicating. Those are the times when I start questioning everything.

Am I doing something wrong? What am I doing wrong? Why can’t I get things right? Why does everything feel like a struggle? What do I need to change?

It’s in that questioning that I pray and really ask God to show me what I need to fix. I ask Him for correction and understanding.

Most of the time, I get silence in response to those questions. But there have been a few occasions when I received an answer and understood what I needed to see.

I think I get silence not because God didn’t hear me, but because I need time for introspection and to recognize that maybe I am part of the problem. The times I did get an answer were because I was missing something, and God needed to nudge me in the right direction.

Regardless of what is happening, whether I have a good day in between or things start to look up, one misstep can start the cycle of questions all over again. When life feels rocky, the uncertainty and lack of control seem to scream at me.

Romans 5:3–5 says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

Here’s the funny thing: when big things fall through, I know in my mind and heart that they didn’t work out because God’s ways are better. But it’s in the day-to-day, little things where I struggle to hold on to that truth and remember that sometimes life just happens.

We do, in fact, have free will, and life is often shaped by the choices we make.

Sure, as the Scripture above tells us, trials bring growth and endurance. They build strength, confidence, and hope in the Lord. But these are truths we have to intentionally remember every single day.

When we sit, pray, and think about a problem, we can run every possible scenario through our minds. We can even justify why we think we are right — or wrong, for that matter. But when we compare our struggles to Scripture and the stories found throughout the Bible, we discover that God has an answer, a solution, or at least an example we can learn from.

For instance, David made a huge mistake. He trusted, believed, and followed God, but he also followed his flesh when it came to a relationship with a woman. When he realized what he had done was wrong, he became overwhelmed with disappointment and emotion. He tried to fix things in the only way he thought he could. But God knew what he had done, corrected him, and forgave him.

There are often times in our disappointment when we take control and try to fix things ourselves instead of going to God, seeking His will, and asking what we need to do. It is in our disappointment that our flesh often wins the battle — unless we truly understand that problems and trials can help us grow in character and strength when we allow God to guide us through them.

God knew what He was getting into when He created us. He knew we would struggle. He knew we would face trials. Yet none of that has ever stopped Him from loving us or being patient with us.

Does God get disappointed in us? Probably, but I don’t really know. But personally, I get disappointed enough in myself for everyone around me that it weighs on me.

What I do know is that He is a forgiving Father. I know His mercies and grace are new every morning. I know that even when my flesh fails, He never does.

With that in mind, I want to share this Scripture and prayer with you.

Jude 1:24-25 – “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.”

Though your disappointment may feel overwhelming and more than you can bear, it is never too much for God. His love surpasses all understanding.

We don’t deserve the grace He offers us, yet because He desires for us to spend eternity with Him, He washes us clean when we come to Him through Jesus and ask for forgiveness.

I think that’s what I need to remember most when I find myself questioning everything. When I’m wondering why things aren’t going right, why I feel misunderstood, or why I can’t seem to get things right, I need to remember that God isn’t asking me to be perfect. He’s asking me to trust Him.

Sometimes the lesson isn’t that we need to fix everything. Sometimes the lesson is that we need to stop trying to fix everything ourselves.

God is fully aware of our weaknesses, our struggles, our disappointments, and even the questions we ask over and over again. None of those things surprise Him.

What surprises us often becomes an opportunity for Him to teach us something new.

The trials, frustrations, misunderstandings, and disappointments we face are not wasted. God uses them to shape our character, strengthen our faith, and remind us that our hope was never meant to be found in ourselves.

Our hope is found in Him.

So, the next time you find yourself asking,” What am I doing wrong? Why does everything feel so hard?” take those questions to God. Ask Him for wisdom. Ask Him for understanding. Ask Him to reveal anything that needs to change in your heart.

Then trust Him with the answer, whether it comes immediately or through a season of waiting.

Because even in the silence, God is working.

Even in the struggle, God is present.

And even in the disappointment, God is still good.