Have you ever felt like giving up when circumstances crush your soul? You feel hopeless, and you wonder if there are any answers to the questions that crowd your mind. When it feels like you will never get through the valley, look
up and get a grip on hope.
Some days you feel so overwhelmed. Questions flood your mind. God listens, but He may not always answer the way you think He should. Some people say that questioning God is a lack of faith. But the truth is that God is not moved by our lack of faith or questioning His ability or willingness to fix our problems.
We may think that if God doesn`t answer, then we stop believing. Sometimes when things seem to be going well and suddenly all our efforts seem to go up in smoke, we curse God. But in reality what does He have to do with it anyways? Then we question if He hears our prayers at all. If he hears then why is life so hard? We call God a liar because he didn`t come through. So we blame others and God on our problems, and think that life is not fair. Is life fair? No.
Is It Too Late?
Two sisters in the Bible called on Jesus to come to heal their brother who was dying. But Jesus didn`t come until it was too late! Lazarus died. He was in the tomb. They blamed God. Then there was a man who was thrown in the lion`s den when he refused to bow down to the king. So many of us have prayed with no immediate results. Where was God when we needed Him?
Sure. This Bible story continued and God showed up! What if the sisters had given up? Lazarus could have remained in the grave. The man could have been eaten by the lions. He lived.
Is there hope? Yes. Never give up hanging on to hope. Since it is God’s will to bring salvation to everyone who calls on Him, we can’t stop praying. But what if God’s answer came too late or maybe it was a ‘no’ in spite of our prayers? Hang on to His grace.
We can’t be in control of the results. It’s up to our Heavenly Father to allow the circumstances to dictate the outcome.There is purpose that may bring us into a deeper level of understanding of life and God.
When God Says ‘No’
One day I had been talking and journaling about how life was not fair. God was not answering my prayers like He promised. I blamed God for not following through quickly enough. Literally, I was angry at God. When would He remove the pain that life constantly throws at me? Why is He allowing sorrow to overtake my heart again and again? Why me? After ranting for several hours in my journal and verbally to my husband, he had enough. He turned on the television just to get our minds off the troubles.
Flipping through the channels, our ears perked up at the words, “When God Says No”. It was the title of T.D. Jakes’ message. A divine appointment for us. The timing could not have been more perfect. We were encouraged.
Do parents sometimes say ‘no’ to their children? Of course they do. God answers in the negative also. This brings us to our dependence on Him. Growth can come…patience, reliance on God’s power and grace, and many more life lessons.
Pastor Jakes talked about Paul’s thorn in the flesh and how Paul had prayed three times that God would take it away. It could have been a spiritual battle with demonic forces that he wanted to get out of his life. Since I am not a theologian I have no idea what the right interpretation should be. But I know it wasn’t easy for him because he wanted relief. He had gone through many trials but this one seemed to be causing him endless grief. Paul wanted freedom from this one, but it didn’t happen.
Grace is Enough
So what do we do when we know the answer is no? Keep on trusting that God would be there when we need Him. Then when we finally get to the point of accepting the truth, we can say, “You’re grace is enough.”
Apostle Paul went on to do great exploits for God by spreading the message of the gospel to his generation. Also, there are many modern day apostles who continue to evangelize in the midst of their personal pain. Rick Warren comes to mind as a well-known pastor who asked God for healing from depression for his son, but didn’t get the answer he wanted.
Don’t stop believing regardless of circumstances. Keep a grip on hope. Receive the peace that passes all understanding. God’s grace is sufficient!
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulations (difficulties); but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33
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