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Guiding Scripture: âI will give you the treasures of darkness and riches from secret places, so that you may know that I am the LordâŚâ
â Isaiah 45:3 (CSB)
Hello my friends,
Over the last two weeks, weâve talked about what abundance means and how we can begin to recognize it in the more obvious areas of our lives: provision, peace, health, relationships, joy.
But today, I want to talk about places that donât feel abundant. Those wilderness seasons, those silent prayers, those grief-filled days, and even the pruning we didnât ask for.
Can I encourage you? Even those places are not wasted. Believe me, there is treasure hidden in the dark if weâre willing to open our eyes and our hearts and let the Lord show us. Letâs explore some of the unexpected places where Godâs abundance might be waitingâquietly, patientlyâfor us to uncover it.
Sometimes Godâs richest blessings are wrapped in silence. Hidden in hardship. Planted in the very soil of our pain or waiting.
This week, weâre highlighting five areas where Godâs abundance can still be foundâeven when it doesnât look or feel like it in the moment. Places were abundance hides. But these are often places that hold the deepest, most lasting
expressions of His provision.
In future editions, weâll explore each one more deeply but today begins the invitation to reflect on what it means to find Abundance in Hidden Places.
#1 - In the Waiting â Abundance of Trust
âThe Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.â
â Lamentations 3:25
Waiting is never easy. But itâs in the waiting that our trust is stretched and strengthened. God often slows us down not to punish us, but to prepare usâfor something greater, deeper, and far more aligned with His will.
Did you know that there are roughly 130+ instances of waiting, often paired with trust or hope in the Lord in the Bible?
In a quote from the book Waiting isnât a Waste, âWaiting is more about what is happening in us than what is happening to usâ
If you are in a waiting period, I would highly recommend this book: Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life by Mark Vroegop
#2 - In the Grief â Abundance of Comfort
âThe God of all comfort... comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction...â
â 2 Corinthians 1:3â4
Grief creates space for divine intimacy. It opens our hearts to receive Godâs healing and then equips us to carry that same comfort to others. His presence is near to the brokenhearted.
Even in sorrow, His love remains steady. The pain may feel overwhelming, but within it is the quiet abundance of Godâs nearness. In our tears, He meets us. In our questions, He listens. And in our moments of loss, He plants seeds of compassion, empathy, and purposeâgifts we may not recognize right away.
Grief doesnât mean weâve been abandoned; itâs often where we learn to recognize the Shepherdâs voice most clearly. Itâs not a detour from abundance, but a doorway into a deeper understanding of it.
#3 - In the Pruning â Abundance of Purpose
âEvery branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.â
â John 15:2
Sometimes abundance looks like subtraction. God removes what isnât serving our purposeânot out of cruelty, but out of care. He is making room for the next harvest.
Pruning feels painful in the momentâlike loss, like disruption, like things falling apart. But in the hands of the Gardener, it is a sacred act of preparation. When God prunes, Heâs not discarding what is valuable; Heâs protecting what is fruitful.
We may not understand whatâs being cut awayâopportunities, relationships, rolesâbut He sees the growth we cannot yet imagine. What we think is an ending is often the beginning of something far more aligned with our calling.
Pruning is not punishment; it is purposeful. It reveals what is lasting, strengthens what remains, and opens space for the kind of fruit that truly glorifies God.
This is abundance not in excess, but in refinement. In clarity. In the quiet confidence that He is shaping us for something more.
#4 - In the Silence â Abundance of Stillness
âBe still and know that I am God.â
â Psalm 46:10
I think we all know this scripture but do we in our hearts practice this when heaven feels quiet? The silence doesnât mean God has stopped working. The silence is often where He deepens our ability to listen, to rest, and to become still in His presence.
In the noise of life, silence can feel uncomfortableâlike something is missing or wrong. But spiritually, silence is often where intimacy with God begins. Itâs in the hush of our striving that He invites us to lean in, to trust without answers, and to experience His nearness not in words, but in presence.
Silence slows us down long enough to see what truly matters. Itâs where our anxious thoughts are quieted and our weary hearts begin to breathe again. Itâs not an absence of Godâs voiceâitâs an invitation to meet Him in a deeper way.
Stillness teaches us surrender. It reminds us that we donât have to strive to be seen or heard by GodâHe already knows, already sees, already holds. Abundance in silence comes not through outcomes, but through anchored peace.
This is where transformation beginsâin the still, quiet moments where faith grows not by what we hear, but by who we know He is.
#5 - In the Trials â Abundance of Refinement
âSo that the proven character of your faithâmore valuable than goldâŚâmay result in praise, glory, and honor...â
â 1 Peter 1:6â7
Our trials are not the end of the story. In the fire, gold is formed. So too, our faith is being refined. There is eternal value being shaped through perseverance.
Trials may feel like setbacks, but in God's hands, they become sacred places of transformation. The pressure, the stretching, and even the breakingâthey arenât wasted. Each hardship refines the character of our faith, stripping away whatâs temporary and revealing whatâs eternal.
God uses trials not to punish, but to equip and prepare. He purifies our motives, strengthens our resolve, and draws us closer to His heart. What feels like breaking is often building. What feels like loss can become gain. And even when we canât yet see the outcome, we can trust that Heâs working behind the scenes, forging something beautiful.
There is abundance in refinement because God is making us more like Christ. He is shaping a testimony that will one day be a beacon for others walking through their own fire. The trial is temporary, but the work God does in it can last a lifetimeâand beyond.
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