Dear Christian,
You are at a point right now in your relationship with God where you feel like he has let you down. Jesus told you that whatever you ask in his name that the Father would grant it to you, but you can't seem to recall the last time one of your prayers has been answered ( John 14:13).
You recall that Jesus said that whatever we have given up for his sake, we will receive a hundredfold in this life, but it just seems like we keeping loosing and there is nothing left to give (Mark 10:28-30).
Jesus even said that whoever had faith like a mustard seed can move mountains, but you are questioning whether he really meant what he said. You have been mustering up whatever faith you have to pray, but the mountains haven't moved an inch (Matthew 17:20).
You proceeded to pursue what you believed God was calling and equipping you to do, but you feel like you have been duped and it would have been better to pursue your own dreams instead of listening to the voice of God.
So what do we do? What do we do when we have prayed for financial breakthrough, but it seems like our circumstances keep worsening. We prayed that God would help us kill our debt, but we lost our job instead. We prayed for God to heal our dying wife, but he worsened her cancer instead. We prayed that God would call our child back to the fold of faith, but it seems that she is running further away. We prayed that God would reconcile our parents, but they still got a divorce. You prayed for God to open up doors for your ministry and opportunities to use your gifts, but it feels like nothing is opening up for you, not even a window.
It seems that all God has left us with, are questions. Why pray? Why seek the things of God, when all it gave you was the dessert? Why seek after God's will? Why not abandon faith and go do our own thing? Do not feel ashamed about these questions because it is common. I have been there and I still catch myself going there at times. It doesn't make you less of a Christian for having these doubts and struggles, or for asking these questions. It makes you human. It makes you real.
We have been struggling with these things as well. It seems like things go good for a little while. We have been going through that kind of season over the last couple of years. I lost my pastoral job about 3 years ago. We moved to a two bedroom apartment living off a minimum wage job. We kept falling behind on our bills and the struggles seemed to only be worsening. I was able to find full-time work with a car dealership, but unable to find a pastoral job. We have found a bigger place, but really can't afford living here. In the midst of all this, we welcomed a fourth child into the world. There is no question that we have seen the hand of God over these last few years and that he has provided for us, but we still feel exhausted, distant from him, and strained.
So I ask the question again, what do we do? I have four answers for us.
We continue to look to Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 says "looking to Jesus, the found and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." We look to Jesus not so we can get all our prayers answered or the desires of our heart met. We look to Jesus because he is Jesus. He is God. He is the perfect one. He is the one who perfects us and transforms us into his likeness. He is the perfect image of the Heavenly Father who loves us and cares deeply for us, even when it doesn't feel like it.
We remember the other promises of Jesus. There is a tendency in Christianity to normalize wealth, health and a life of ease. Some Christians do have life pretty good. They have good jobs, they have their own house. They have health and wealth. They have been protected from much of the suffering and difficulties that you and I have experienced, but that doesn't mean they have earned those things or are more faithful than you or that hardship isn't headed their way. That perception of Christianity needs to die, it is the "Prosperity Gospel" and the Bible condemns it.
Jesus does promise to take care of us and to provide us, but he doesn't guarantee that we won't have trials, illnesses and setbacks. When he tells the disciples that they will receive a hundredfold for everything they lost in his name, he also promises them they will have struggles: "Truly I tell you', Jesus replied, 'no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children, or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields- along with persecutions- and in the age to come eternal life" (Mark 10:29-30). He also tells us that in this world we will have troubles, but we can take heart because he has overcome it (John 16:33).
We look at what is not seen. We are tangible people. We like to look at the here and now, but what we see in front of us doesn't show us the full story. We can't know what's around the corner or how the story ends, but God does because he knows the future and is the author of it. We tend to focus on the short game, but God likes to focus on the long game. For us, we want things to work out now; we want faith now, healing now, wealth now, but God is patient and works at building in us a deeper faith and joy that is rooted in him and will continue for all eternity. We think hardships and sufferings will hinder our lives and our joy, but God desires to add to our lives through them.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:17- 18, " For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
We will get sick. We will suffer. We will struggle. Hardships will happen. Love ones will die. However, God promises us that he won't waste those things in our lives, but he will work them in our lives for a greater glory and a deeper joy. To quote John Piper, "they are not meaningless, they are totally meaningful in the path of obedience."
Lastly, we rejoice. Rejoicing in the Lord is not a forced smile nor is dependant on emotion. It is a posture we choose to have. We can look at everything that is happening around us and what it stirs up in us and choose to be miserable, or we can choose to rejoice in the Lord. This doesn't mean that we won't get upset with God, have doubts, or ask questions.
However, in the midst of it all, we make a choice to believe in Jesus promises of giving us joy and abundant life, knowing they are rooted in him instead of our circumstances. For some reason, we think that hardship and suffering is a mark of God's rejection over us. However, the Apostles and early believers saw that it was actually a mark of God's favour on them and a reminder of his presence with them ( Acts 5:40-42, 1 Peter 4:12-19).
James 1:1-4 says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kind, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
I hope these answers help you in the season you find yourself in. May you continue to press in Him as you struggle and navigate through the various storms of life. Remember you are not alone, you are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses who are struggling too, despite what some say. May we all call on Christ together and look to him for our joy and to sustain us.
Written with love,
Sincerely,
Pastor Josh Dorey
Comments
Post a Comment