We were sitting in a hotel lobby, having breakfast.  My husband and I had escaped the busy, city life for a slower-paced weekend.

After consuming our first course, while still sitting at our table, Jeff stared for a few moments in one particular direction of an empty spot along the buffet line.

“What are you staring at?” I asked.

“I want a cinnamon roll,” he answered.

“And staring at the empty bin will make one appear?”

“I was hoping so,” he replied, dejectedly.

During various times in our lives, individuals can focus on one desired item, one desired longing, one desired goal.  If they seek or strive enough for this one desire, they can believe they will obtain it.  But sometimes, without any explanation, it remains unobtainable, unfilled.

Unanswered prayers (or ones not answered in the way we hope) are like that void in the buffet.  Instead of focusing on these “voids” in our lives, take a step back, and look at the whole buffet of our life, acknowledging the line of the Lord’s blessings upon us.

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) states, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Therefore, no matter what happens during these periods of longing, let us believe the Lord is at work in the moments of the unseen.

Lord, whether in moments of fulfillment or void, give us attitudes of gratitude. Amen.