Devotional 26: When You Can’t Yet See the Growth

Have you ever wondered if you’re actually making progress?

Maybe you’re still carrying grief. Still wrestling with fear. Still facing some of the same struggles you thought would be easier by now.

In this devotional, we explore a comforting truth from Scripture: the presence of struggle is not proof that God isn’t working. Sometimes the roots grow long before the fruit appears.

Featured Quote From Episode

“The struggle may be visible. The growth may be hidden. But hidden does not mean absent.”

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About This Devotional

Growth can be surprisingly difficult to recognize while we’re living inside of it.

We see the places that still feel unfinished. We notice the fears that remain. We recognize the habits we’re still trying to break and the prayers we’re still waiting to see answered.

Because those struggles remain visible, it’s easy to assume progress isn’t happening.

But what if that’s only part of the story?

In this devotional, we explore Philippians 1:6, Galatians 6:9, Psalm 1, and John 15. Together, these passages remind us that much of God’s work happens beneath the surface long before it becomes visible.

We’ll reflect on roots and fruit, growth and struggle, trust and timing, and the faithfulness of a God who continues working even when His work feels difficult to measure.

If you’ve ever felt discouraged because healing seems slow, growth feels invisible, or change feels harder to see than you hoped, this devotional offers a gentle reminder:

Hidden growth is still growth.

Scripture Focus

Philippians 1:6

“He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

God’s promise is not merely that the work will be finished one day. It is that He is faithfully continuing the work today.

Galatians 6:9

“Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.”

The harvest is often invisible long before it becomes visible. Faithfulness frequently happens in the waiting.

John 15:1–5

“Remain in Me.”

Jesus’ invitation is not to manufacture fruit through effort but to remain connected to Him while growth unfolds in His timing.

Psalm 1:1–3

The image of a tree planted by streams reminds us that roots often grow quietly before strength and fruit become visible.

Reflection Question

Where in your life are you most tempted to believe that nothing is happening—and what if God sees more growth there than you can currently recognize?

Explore the Full Teaching

Episode 26: The Sponge Principle: What Comes Out Under Pressure

This devotional expands on one of the central themes from Episode 26: pressure often reveals what has been forming beneath the surface all along. While the episode explores what comes out under pressure, this devotional explores how God quietly shapes what is being formed within us.

→ Listen to Episode 26