Lit Up

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20

Every summer, our backyard turns into something magical.

We look forward to the small window when the sun dips low, the air softens, and suddenly the yard comes alive. Tiny lights flicker in the grass, drift through the trees, hover in the air like they’re suspended between earth and sky.

Fireflies.

They twinkle like stars scattered low, like Heaven decided to come a little closer for the night. We sit outside and watch their spectacular light show. They wow us every time.

Not everyone gets to experience them. Some parts of the country never see them at all. But most people know they exist—tiny bugs that somehow light up the dark.

Fireflies are actually beetles, and their glow comes from a chemical reaction in their bodies. No heat, no flame, just light. They flash to communicate, to find each other, to signal life in the dark. Most of what we see are males in flight, calling out, while the females answer from the grass.

The glowing stage of their life is short. Just two to three weeks unless the weather cools or the winds are strong. They spend most of their lives hidden, unseen in the soil. Then, for this brief, brilliant window, they rise and light up the night like they were made for it.

It’s incredible what God built into something so small. And still, we question His power.

We try to hold everything together ourselves. Even in prayer, we hold back. We ask carefully, believe cautiously, lowering our expectations just enough to protect our hearts.

But that’s not trust. It’s self-protection dressed up as faith.

Praying with expectation looks different. It’s asking God to restore a relationship and choosing patience before anything changes. It’s praying for direction and stepping forward with what He’s already shown you, even when the full plan is unclear. It’s asking for provision and refusing to let anxiety take over while you wait. It’s praying for someone you love and continuing to believe God is working, even when you don’t see it.

It’s living like you actually believe He’s moving.

Because He is—just not always in the way you would choose.

Sometimes His answers take longer and often look completely different. Sometimes He’s working in you while you’re waiting for Him to move around you. And if you’re only watching for one specific outcome, you might miss the quiet evidence of His hand all around you.

Fireflies don’t stop glowing just because you don’t see them every second.

And God’s power doesn’t disappear because it doesn’t match your expectations.

So pray like you believe He is able. Trust that He hears you. Live like He is moving—even here, even now, even when it’s not obvious yet.

Because if God can make a bug’s butt light up, imagine what He can do for you!

You are loved!