For the past six months, this thought has lingered in my mind: I’m living in the moments I once prayed for.

In this season, I got married, went on a honeymoon, moved into my first home, hosted housewarming gatherings, made a house into a home, and even witnessed Ipswich Town get promoted to the Premier League! Each of these moments — once just hopes turned into prayer — became my reality. It has been a season full of mountaintop experiences, reminders that the prayers I once lifted up have been answered.

There’s something deeply humbling about pausing, looking back, and realising that God has not only heard those prayers but has been faithfully working all along. It’s a surreal feeling to stand in a place that was once only a hope. It makes me think of the Israelites entering the Promised Land in the book of Joshua. After 40 long years of wandering, displaced and without a home, they finally stepped into the place God had prepared for them. What a profound moment that must have been — to see the promise fulfilled after years of waiting.

I’m a creative, typically full of ideas with my eyes on future plans, I tend to focus on what’s ahead. In doing so, I often miss the beauty of the present — the moments where I’m already living in answered prayers. Too often, I treat prayer like Amazon Prime, always eager for the next delivery, forgetting to notice and appreciate the prayers God has already answered. But when I take the time to slow down, I can see His goodness more clearly, and it fills me with gratitude.

Now that I’m stepping out of the busyness of wedding season and the whirlwind of summer, I’m beginning to appreciate the stillness that allows me to reflect. There’s something truly beautiful about slowing down, being fully present, and recognizing that I am, in fact, living in a season that I once prayed for. Gratitude flows naturally when we pause long enough to see how far we’ve come.

I don’t want to get so caught up in the pace of life that I forget to stop and notice the goodness of God woven throughout my story. But it’s also important to acknowledge that not every prayer is answered immediately or even in the way we expect.

Yes, the Israelites eventually crossed into the Promised Land, but that was after 40 years of waiting. It’s easy for us to skip over the 40 years because we know the end of the story but whilst you in it and not aware of the future it can be hard. It’s hard in the waiting, wondering why God hasn’t answered our prayer, I have taken comfort in the waiting that knowing our God is still good in that place.

In the waiting God provided. In the waiting God was still there. He sent manna (food) daily, met their needs, looked after his people and helped them along the way. Even in the gap between the prayer and the answer God was still good and still providing for his people. I am thankful for that, that even in the waiting I can still see Gods goodness, even in the waiting God is still close and good.

Whilst being in both the waiting and the answered prayers I can all so often live in such a fast paced way that I don’t notice Gods goodness in either because I am to focused on what’s ahead…

So as I move into this next year, I want to carry this mindset with me — in both the answered prayers and the waiting. Whether in the mountaintop moments or in the quiet seasons of waiting, I want to slow down and live in the moment, knowing that God is good through it all.

Joel Harris

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