Prayer in the Waiting

God of the in-between, I am tired of waiting. I have prayed the same prayer so many times the words have worn smooth. Others receive answers; I seem to receive only more silence. And yet, here I am again, because I do not know where else to go. Teach me what waiting is for. Not as punishment, but as soil: somewhere roots go down before anything appears above the ground. Show me what You are growing in me that could not grow in a hurry. Protect me from bitterness toward those whose prayers seem answered faster. Protect me from the lie that Your silence means Your absence. Some of the deepest works of God happen underground, unseen. I still ask. I do not stop asking. But while I wait, make me faithful in the small things of this ordinary day, and let hope be a habit and not a mood. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope. Amen.