The Other Side of Breakthrough

Have you ever thought, “How much longer until I see something happen?” “Is God even listening to me?” “Am I being punished?”

You are not alone.

We’ve all heard the testimonies of miraculous breakthrough. A debt paid off by an anonymous donor, someone receiving a job promotion they weren’t even looking for, a miraculous healing, being freed from addiction instantly. The stories are endless. But if you are on the other side of breakthrough, especially if you have been waiting for years and years, these stories can leave you asking, “What about me? When is it my turn? Has God forgotten about me?”

That is where my husband and I are. We are on the other side of breakthrough. So although our hearts rejoice with our brothers and sisters when we hear their stories of breakthrough, we can sometimes feel forgotten by God.

We both know that God has not forgotten us. We both know God has good plans for us. So instead of festering in those feelings of despair, we chose to seek Him more.

Recently, God led me to Genesis Chapter 6. The story of Noah. It is such a strange passage when you are praying for breakthrough. But nonetheless, God led me there.

I read the passage several times, lingering there and letting the well-known story tumble in my spirit. And then, the revelation slowly came.

Most of us know the story well. God is fed up with the wickedness of man. He tells Noah a flood is coming and gave him detailed instructions on how to build an ark that would save him, his family and nature.

What God showed me in the story of Noah was, one, a faithful obedience. Many theologians suggest Noah had never even seen rain before the flood. Yet he faithfully obeyed God’s detailed instructions in the midst of possible ridicule because he believed God that a flood would come.

He not only faithfully obeyed God, he faithfully obeyed God for a LONG time. It is theorized it took Noah between 55 and 75 years to complete the ark!! That is a long time to wait. That is a long time to build. That is a long time to endure.

The second thing God showed me was that not only did Noah obey, but he had the boldness to build something he had never built before. And to go even further, he built something he had never even seen before. This was a totally new experience for him. He probably had no idea what this thing would look like until he actually finished it. His only blueprint was God’s word. (Let that sink in for a bit). Sometimes all we have is God’s word. But that is more than enough to build something amazing.

God also taught me that once Noah had built what God had instructed him to build, God brought the animals to him. Noah didn’t have to go hunting for them. After Noah obeyed and built and the structure was ready, God brought the provision to Noah: animals that would provide food and clothing and a thriving ecosystem for his family and all of humanity until this day.

And finally, Noah **believed** God. And his belief that what God said was true and that it would happen fueled him to be faithful, to obey and to build. No matter how long it took or how many people doubted and laughed, Noah believed and built with full confidence that the flood was coming. And this mindset saved him, his family, the earth and all of humanity. The flood that could have destroyed him, instead carried him into the next season because he built what God told him to build.

I could have chosen to wait to write this after our breakthrough came and be a great testiomy of God’s awesomeness, but I wanted to speak to you who are still waiting, still hoping, still praying; you who are wondering if God has forgotten you; you who have been waiting for years and have seen nothing change in your favor while it seems everyone around you is relishing in answered prayers.

To you, and to myself, I say: remain faithful, be obedient, be bold, keep believing and keep building. The flood is coming.

With Love,
Cinder

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” -Hebrews 10:23