What I Didn't See

In the album, Praise Anyway, after the scars explored in “Scars Like These,” and justaxposed with the raw grief in “Jackie’s Song,” this track reflects on how God was working even when it felt like He wasn’t. It’s not triumphalism—it’s hindsight grace.

Mandisa often spoke about how she had to wrestle with God during her depression, asking: “Where were You?” This song is an answer—not wrapped in theology, but in testimony. It’s the moment where, looking back, she recognizes the subtle miracles she missed: a friend who called at the right time, a song on the radio, the strength to get out of bed.

It’s a confession wrapped in gratitude. A quiet reckoning that says: I didn’t see You then, but You never left.

Arc Overview

Within the album's arc through grief → healing → joy → purpose this track sits midway in: healing and rediscovery of joy.

Lyrics

Verse 1
I thought the silence meant You’d gone
I begged for signs, but nothing shone
The nights were long, the hope was thin
I didn’t feel You movin’ in

I missed the mercy in the rain
The hidden strength inside the pain
I cried, “Why don’t You rescue me?”
But You were right beside my grief

Chorus
What I didn’t see
Were the arms that caught me
The whispers in the quiet
The peace that fought me
The breath to make it one more day
The light that didn’t run away
You were writing love in every line
Of what I didn’t see at the time

Verse 2
A text that came right on cue
A worship song I stumbled to
The nurse who smiled, the sun that stayed
I see it now, the way You made

A path I didn’t understand
Still held inside Your steady hand
You let me ask, You let me ache
But never left me in that place

Chorus
What I didn’t see
Was You holding steady
When the weight was breaking
You said, “I’m ready”
To carry burdens I can’t name
To walk through shadows just the same
You were writing hope between the lines
Of what I didn’t see at the time

Bridge
Now the veil’s a little thinner
I see Your fingerprints in winter
In the quiet, in the dark
You were stitching back my heart

Final Chorus
What I didn’t see
Was grace still working
Even in the silence
Love was burning
Through all the doubt, through every fear
You were the reason I’m still here
You were faithful all the while
Even when I didn’t see Your smile

Themes

• Retrospective faith
• God’s presence in unseen ways
• Acknowledging doubt and redemption side-by-side
• Quiet hope over time