3 Interesting Keys If You Have Been Toiling With No Tangible Results.

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

I have been in this space where nothing I do has been working. I have been toiling with no tangible results. And regardless of how much I toiled nothing seemed to bear fruit. So after months of going through this phase, a friend advised me to surrender it all to God and stop trying to do things in my own strength. I initially did not take her advice until I had 2 more people tell me the same thing. This made me realize that God could be telling me something through them.

Not only that, God opened my eyes to see that the people around me had not toiled for the thing I was toiling for yet they received it in the end. And so I gave in and decided to lay my situation at the feet of Jesus. I decided to spend my time listening to sermons and shifted my focus to other things.

And in one of the days, I listened to a sermon that talked about diligence and the art of building. Being that I had heard it more than once, I got confused. I started doubting my strategy and thought that I was making excuses and using prayer, sermons, and reading my Bible as a crutch to avoid doing the work. And this frustrated me. I started feeling like I had wasted my time.

This led me to go back to God in prayer and I cried out to Him asking for His forgiveness. I went to the extent of telling Him that if I was doing it I was sorry. I also told Him to show me the way as I felt lost and I needed His guidance. And would you believe that during the Sunday sermon at my church, the guest pastor shifted gears halfway through and started talking about Peter, specifically in John 21? And He said something that caught my attention. He said something to the effect of In God’s presence we find everything that we desire.

The back story in John 21 is Peter toiling all night and catching nothing; that is, he toiled with no tangible results. Then Jesus shows up and at His word, they caught fish to the point that the boat began to sink. And again when they went ashore, they found out that Jesus had already prepared the fish for them. And to top it all up, He had brought bread to go with the fish. This brings me to the 3 points I want to share with you. This is especially relevant for you if you are in a season where you feel God asking you to rest in Him.

Now I feel the need to point something out first. You see, although my friend had told me to surrender to God, I had been feeling the nudge to do so. So her telling me only confirmed what was already in my heart. Back to the points.

What God wants you to know if you have been toiling with no tangible results in an area for a while now.

If like Peter you have been struggling in an area for far too long and have ‘caught nothing’, God wants you to know this.

If you have been toiling with no tangible results, God is telling you that everything you need is in Him.

Peter did not know that Jesus already had the fish prepared for him. The fish had been refined by fire. And this fish was not among the ones that they caught after Jesus gave them a word. Often times we assume that success comes from toiling. We elevate the hustle and minimize the rest. Now don’t get me wrong, diligence is vital and God does not condone laziness. There are, however, seasons when God will ask you to rest in Him and focus on seeking Him. This is what He means when He tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and all these other things will be added unto us. ( Mathew 6:33)

Let me ask you this, in what area have you been toiling with no tangible results? Why not seek God and have Him give you a strategy that will work? Think about Joseph for a second. He tried to talk his way out of prison. And it was not until he surrendered to the timing of God that his moment of prominence came. Abraham too had to rest in God. He had done everything he knew to do and yet had no child. But once God gave him a word, he finally received his miracle.

Child of God, I want you to know that the only way you will hear that word from God is by you spending time with God. You see, there is never time wasted when you seek God. It might feel like you are wasting your time. But I promise you, you will see the fullness of the very thing you toiled for in the past. This scripture in John 21 paints a beautiful picture of how God’s word will wipe away years of striving and fruitless labor. Often times Kingdom success does not look like natural success. And again, I feel the need to point out that I am not condoning laziness. This word is for those that have tried everything in their own strength and have not seen the fruit of their labor.

God wants you to know that you will find what you are seeking in Him. And again the more you spend time with Him the more you get your spiritual senses aligned with His. And as you do that, you will clearly discern His voice when He gives you that instruction that will lead you to your moment of breakthrough. When that word comes, it will end the delay and stagnation you have been experiencing in your life.

Could it be that the reason you are yet to experience the breakthrough is that God wants you to seek Him so that He can give you the very best? What God has for you has been prepared for you. And the best part is that when it comes to you it will be in its purest form. And what God gives you will come with ease as well. Can I challenge you to seek God in that area you have toiled in with no tangible results? Seek His will for you and ask Him to give you His strategy. He will do that. After all, He loves you and wants the best for you.

One thing I have to emphasize is that your process does not have to look like Peter’s. Yours might take a longer time. The concept, however, is the same.

You will get more than you asked for.

Peter got a miraculous catch of fish after Jesus gave him an instruction and he followed it. Not only that when he got ashore, Peter realized that Jesus had already prepared a meal. That is fish and bread. Peter had not asked for bread. All he wanted was to catch fish. Child of God today I want you to know that as you seek God, not only will you find that which you are looking for but also that which you never knew you needed. When the Bible calls God, Jehovah Jireh, it means that He has provision for everything you will ever need.

Maybe right now all you care for is a job because you want to experience financial independence. However, because God knows the end from the beginning, He might have a career path for you where you get to use more than just your professional qualifications. Could it be that God wants you to refine your gift of discernment so that you can help your colleagues when He finally blesses you with a job? Maybe He wants to build your capacity so that you can intercede for your colleagues. Or maybe He wants you to evangelize when you get there. And therefore He is using this time to refine you and prepare you for your next season.

When Joseph finally got to his place of prominence, he did not know that God was using him to save his family members. It was through Joseph, that Jacob and his lineage were saved from famine. And that was why God had Joseph go through the preparation process for such a time as that. The same goes for you. There is more than meets the eye. God promises that He will do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all that we could ever ask or think, according to the power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).

Child of God, let this scripture anchor you and make you realize that God has so much in store for you. The fact that He is making you wait is proof that He has more than what you are asking Him for. Trust His timing and realize that He will bring it to pass at the right time. Give yourself to the training. Because when it is all said and done, you will be glad that God had you wait. In Genesis 50, we see Joseph echoing these sentiments. This was when he told his brothers that although they meant it for evil, God turned it all around. He also told them it worked out for good.

God will use everything you went through including your skills for your good.

Jesus in verse 10 of John 21 asked them to bring the fish they had just caught. ¹⁰Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught. This goes to show that Jesus still used what they had toiled for in the past. This brings to light the scripture that tells us that God causes all things to work out for our good (Romans 8:28). We serve a God who wastes nothing. He will use everything that you have been through and all the skills and knowledge you have gained to perfect His plan for your life.

Today I want to encourage you not to discard your experiences or skills. When we look at the life of Moses we see that the skills he gained while living in the wilderness for 40 years, he was able to impart to the Israelites. What has God allowed to happen in your life? Do you know that God will use it to help others as well? In every area you gain victory in, God gives you an anointing to help others break through.

Once you have overcome, God will use you to help set others free. And that was why in the same chapter, Jesus told Peter that although satan wanted to sift him like wheat Jesus prayed for him to overcome. Immediately after that, Jesus told Peter to strengthen his fellow brethren once he overcame. There is nothing wasted in God.

Maybe you have been jobless for years and you think that your qualifications were for nothing. Today I want you to know that God will use them when the time is right. There will be a day when heaven will place a demand on those skills. And the skills that you had discarded years prior will benefit you. God can use every and anything to bring about His purposes on earth.

Don’t grow weary or curse that which God has given you. He gave it to you for a reason. And although you did not get to use it this season. There is a season where you will use it. The toiling has not been in vain. You will see the results. You might have suffered for a while. But I want you to know, your efforts are not in vain. They will pay off.

Conclusion

If you have been toiling with no tangible results I want to encourage you to surrender and lay that thing at the altar of God. And focus on seeking Him. As you do that you will find the very thing you have always desired. God will prepare and refine it for you as He is also preparing and refining you for it. When it is time to possess your promise, you will receive more than you could ever ask, think or imagine.

Have faith beloved. Seek God and in due time you will realize that He had the very thing you sought for all those years. He will remember you and your hope will not be thwarted. Always remember that those who put their trust in God will not have their expectations cut short. Just seek Him and allow Him to prepare you. If you have been blessed by this blog, kindly share and leave a comment below. I am rooting for you and don’t forget to testify when God remembers you to encourage others!