Have you felt stuck? I don’t mean stuck on a crossword problem. I’m talking at your wit’s end (overwhelmed and not sure how to proceed) because you’re…
Stuck in a rut, wheels spinning.
Stuck in a tunnel, no end in sight.
Stuck in a wilderness, longing for green pastures.
Stuck in a spiritual dry spell, waiting for God to drench your spirit.
Stuck with the consequences of poor decisions.
I’ve been bogged down with all the above at some point. But lately, I’m stuck for words!
Perhaps you’ve been there. Searching for words to encourage someone who’s stuck in a barren land.
Words seem inadequate. So there are no words.
What can I say to the sister-in-law who mourns the death of her parents? The friend who lives with chronic pain. The dad hospitalized with COVID. Grown children crippled by anxiety. The young man looking for a job. The mom about to give birth after losing a premature child last year. Not one, but two recent widows, who ache for their husbands. Need I go on?
Sometimes I don’t know how to pray for these dear people. That’s when I rely on “the Spirit to intercede for me with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8: 26).
Shutting my mouth and listening to someone who’s hurting often speaks louder than words. Besides, how can I share a timely word that lifts someone’s spirit without sounding trite? Fear of saying (or writing) the wrong thing kept me stuck for words until God’s Word reminded me.
When there are no words—there’s God.
Tweet
God is TRUTH!
God’s Word is TRUTH!
Must we walk in someone’s shoes before we share the balm of truth? Scripture reveals God’s character by His actions. “Fear not. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”
Not if, but when we go through difficult times—God is with us. Why would we not want to share God’s goodness and mercy with someone whose hurting?
God makes a way when there seems no way.
Doubts, anger, grief, loneliness, pain, fear will try to convince us we’re stuck. There’s no way out of this situation . . . this heartache. But our feelings can’t eliminate facts.
“Behold, I’m about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19).
When the way seems impossible, God makes a way . . . even in this.
Photos by Jennifer Wrede
Even In This 