I begged God to come to the rescue.
My prayers weren’t for me, but someone else who needed to know that God is real. He cares about every detail of our lives.
Please God! Show Yourself in a mighty way that will remove all doubt; strengthen faith.
I stopped praying when a wail rose deep within that person and hit the room like a Tsunami.
God didn’t step in to save the day.
So it was left to me—or so it seemed—to make My presence known and comfort a crushed spirit.
Although God’s purposes (Romans 8:28,29) are certain, I knew these words would fall on deaf ears. For even I struggled to make sense of the situation.
When the person’s pain morphed into anger…
I made excuses for God; explained why He might have allowed this “unfair thing” to happen.
Have you ever had to defend God?
Or fortify someone’s faith instead of allowing God to do the work—how ever slowly?
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)
I know this to be true. Multiple miscarriages once left me flailing like a fish out of water.
My faith remained intact, but anger and bitterness enslaved me. I kept God at a distance because my unmet expectations had led to disappointment with Him.
However, that season of pain showed me that God remains faithful even when I am faithless.
The Lord also used my miscarriages to eradicate my misperceptions of His character, and the false beliefs that I was….
–Entitled to get what I want, when I want, because I’m a Christian.
–Able to manipulate God with my “good deeds.”
Years of trying to earn God’s love and approval had also led to the assumption—God doesn’t love me when bad things happen or He appears silent.
Finally, sick of my own belly aching and missing the Lord, I confessed my anger and false accusations.
I asked God for His peace and claimed Psalm 27:13,14
“I would have despaired unless I had believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”
Those faith lessons came to mind as my friend clenched fists and spewed venomous words. But my own experience told me, “This wasn’t the right time.”
Besides, spoon-fed faith won’t result in spiritual maturity. Eventually, folks have to learn for themselves that…
- God is near,
- He’s able to save
- He uses all things to teach and mold us
Until we come to a place we can submit to God’s sovereignty. And trust Him even in the senseless, worst of times.
Even In This 