Were you ever so keen to follow the righteous way of proper gain, instead of a crooked easier way out, that you labored till the end, only to find perhaps years of your efforts completely wasted or quashed (maybe by another) like it had no value? Even crueler, you ended up worse off than when you started.

What really stings is that, acting in all sincerity, with the Father’s values at the forefront, though the journey was hard with temptations, you still patiently waited out, wishing only for God’s blessing to come upon you. But what did you secure? Sorrow, devastation and pain, leaving you reeling and maybe questioning God, while others were on an easier journey in life!

And the Bible itself gives us this general understanding, do good, labour hard, pray, believe in God and you will be blessed.

Perhaps you are holding on to your marriage vows, struggling to do good, but it has been years since your spouse keeps thwarting your every loving effort and has sharply turned against you. Or, your grown up children (standing strong because of you), have no regard for you, though you love them. Perhaps your business running efforts or working as a dedicated employee, are being thwarted. You could still be childless after fervently praying for years, while friends who do not want children, are becoming parents.

Know this, God detests wastage, especially efforts!

John 6:12-13 “Now gather the scraps,” Jesus told his disciples, “so that nothing is wasted.” And twelve baskets were filled with the leftovers!

The very Creator of Heaven and Earth, though exceedingly rich (for He can only say a word and multiply food), ironically has a huge problem with any wasteage, but many of the rich waste what they do not consume. He detests it to such a degree, that He asked for even the scraps to be collected! 

In God’s world, not one natural thing, is tossed out of the planet, when creatures have consumed part of it. For before creating the earth, He wisely pre-planned natural recycling; something we have only learnt in the recent decades (from seeing our Father’s work in nature).

Therefore do you know what your hard invested efforts (based on His teachings) really are? It is you, putting His Word in “flesh” or in action! And what does scripture say about the eternal Gardner’s Word?

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it – Isaiah 55:10–11

Yes, His verse acknowledges that there are extremely trying obstacles, but it assures you, that when you partner with Him, your and His every effort (which inculcates His Word), never gets wasted! In the end we will see that, if we too endure, the benefits, far outweigh the effort and pain. 

What is really going on, is the period between your efforts and the painstaking fruit bearing, in banking terms is known as the “lock-in interest period”, with guaranteed high returns at the end of that tenure, which frighteningly seems as silent as a grave.

As Jesus says: John 12:24: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

So sometimes, we, just like the farmer, after the painstaking efforts of fertilizing, sowing, watering the seed, will then experience the “death” of the seed and be totally traumatized! But as the farmer has faith in nature’s system (engineered by God), hence we too must exercise our faith in God’s (Trade Mark) System. That, in His name, a glorious growth and resurrection will burst forth, shining so bright (too much for us to even fathom or bear) and crown all our efforts, that were humanly wasted, (maybe even abused by others) and left for dead! This is the reward of those who accept the so called death of their effort or seed.

Genesis 2:15 – Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it. 

God is the Master Gardner and prizes gardening so much, that He mandated not only Adam but all of us to till the earth. Therefore, we need to spend time understanding God’s trademark “System” and follow it, by involving Him in our fruit bearing.

How can a Christian get miracles activated, after his/her good efforts are not met with regular results?

1. Believe in God’s Trade Mark “System”
2. Enter into the presence of the Holy of Holies (Blessed Sacrament (even online)), with confidence and even joy. You must know that, when the regular door is shut in our face, God is opening the supernatural door!
3. Forgive those who unfairly shut the door in your face and pray for their soul to be filled with grace.
4. Romans 8:28: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Surrender to Jesus, every effort you can recall (like it was live and happening that instant with the waves of pain you were experiencing, even your tears) and that in the end (or by and by), it was all painfully thwarted. 

5. Steep into faith and declare prayers like, “Jesus, I don’t only request You to turn these efforts into good, and bear the regular fruit it was supposed to. But, because you are God, I ask You to rain Fire on these efforts; make them Divine, make it supernatural and let the glorious works of you Lord, be fulfilled! Let Your people, believers and unbelievers, witness that the Word that went from Your mouth in action, through me Your earth’s gardener, never returns empty, but bears fruit in Divine abundance! Amen”
6. Matthew 13:58: And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

When you pray positive prayers like this, it will not only make you optimistic but increase your faith and there will be a quick catalysis of the miracle, as God loves confidence. 

The effects of using the “System”

Mary and Martha walked in the ways of the Lord, made many efforts to reach Jesus, when Lazarus was dying, but yet Jesus waited! He knew what miracle would happen, but when He reached the tomb, seeing the sorrow and pain, He too wept and prayed. He was offering to His Father and transforming all their efforts of a pious life and efforts to save Lazarus, for the Father to turn it into Divine blessings. But notice, He offered it in thanksgiving and confidence, even though He also sorrowed for them, with tears! 

John 11:41-42 “…Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.”

We observe from the last part of this statement, all this happened to build lively faith in the Living Word of God (Jesus) who would be glorified!

A poor pious widow had been trying to speak to every contact she knew, for her son who completed his studies to secure a job because he had no experience and was backward while answering interviews. Knocking several doors, she was exhausted and broken. One day, in her complete frustration, while praying, she (like Jacob) wrestled with God. Exasperated, she declared, that her son’s job was no longer her problem but it was Jesus’ and she was not going to bother any more. She sat down and did nothing more. Within a short period, her son got an interview (with the interviewer having a son of the same age, understood and looked past this candidate’s backwardness) and he secured a job. The widow’s son grew from strength to strength in that firm, for the next two decades!

Exactly what Jesus was waiting for all the while! The surrender of her efforts into His “lock-in interest period”. She did not understand that by this surrender, her efforts were only a fraction of the work and that growth was needed, and only came with the lock-in period.

Jacob labored painfully but was cheated for years by Laban and besides this, his self-worth and efforts seemed mocked, when he was deceived into marrying Leah. Yet his faithfulness, surrender, patience and trusting God with his efforts, made him so exceedingly rich in the end that it was Laban who ended up deceiving himself.

God’s “System” was designed to always incorporate more than your efforts alone

God knows that many who are steeped in God, have the potential to run the “race” to Him more easily. So, just as a runner has weights strapped to his ankles, to increase his strength and speed, God straps onto us, those who are not steeped in Him (by way of us suffering setbacks involving them). Even though it appears that through our trial, we are lagging to the finish line, we are in fact pulling along, those who are not truly steeped in God and do not take part in the run (but God wants them saved). 

In God’s Wisdom, He designed us to gain a certain leverage of power among other intercessors, for those who have thwarted and abused our efforts. 

True, they disrespectfully thwarted your efforts and even more your feelings of self-worth, which felt like all was being dragged down to death or hell. But because by either interfering or refusing to dutifully cooperate with your efforts, they negatively attached themselves to your efforts, so now you have the power to allow God to do wondrous miracles. In holding onto Jesus, we gain the right to drag back both our efforts and they who are attached to it, to the Cross of Victory. So thereby, both our efforts and them are splendidly transformed into something gloriously divine, through the power of Jesus. 

Just as when a farmer pulls out roots, weeds that hurt it, also come up with it since they have attached themselves to the root, so too will Christ, transform not only the roots of our efforts but those (who like weeds) have chocked our efforts.

In fact it is because God so needs those souls to come back to Him in full strength, He will wondrously bless your efforts, but more like a byproduct; those souls are His first priority, even more than your efforts for material blessings or a normal comfortable life. 

1 Corinthians 2:8: None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

The rulers of this age were not only Romans and Jews but the devil. If satan knew his own downfall was 100 percent guaranteed, in trying to thwart Christ’s life (and efforts) by dragging Him to death, he would never incite the Jews to kill Him. For notice how Scripture speaks of the crucifixion of Jesus, in context with Him being the Lord of Glory. It means that when death attaches itself to someone who was immortal, satan’s plans were useless, Jesus would anyway rise to life. But what was more important for Christ, is that anyone crucified to Him, will also rise to immortal life because of Him. 

John 15:20: A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

If you too, in the name of Jesus, confidently surrender your broken efforts, tragedies and those who interfered with it, to Jesus, asking for His Holy Blood and Fire to come and consume these offerings, then you have become an extension of Christ (as in the bible verse below).

1Cor 15:22: For just as all people die because of their union with Adam, in the same way all will be raised to life because of their union with Christ.

Your opposers who are attached or unified to you, via your sufferings, unknowingly become transformed by Christ, because of your union with Him. In this way you bring Him glory and do His will. 

In God (ultimately), there will never be losses!

Matthew 11:28 – Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.