Waiting for God
When life does not make sense what do you do?
Waiting for God is hard. Life is full of tough places and some of us face great pain. Chaos reigns. Friends are diagnosed with cancer. Babies are born with a disability we did not expect. Spouses spill secrets kept far too long. The political climate is filled with drama and accusations. Trust in the leadership of our land is glaringly absent. What for years we knew as black and white has now become gray and confusing.
May I be honest without being a “Debbie Downer?” While I purpose daily to keep my mind and heart focused on what is good, true and right, I still struggle to keep my boat sailing in the right direction. Winds overwhelm and I am undone. I wait for God and He is achingly silent.
Recently, in a mid-west town barely an hour from where I live, a random shooter killed six innocent people and seriously wounded two others. They were living life, eating at a Cracker Barrel, window shopping for cars and minding their own business. No reason. Shot. Gone. My heart breaks for the families. Innocence is shattered. Lives are altered. Time hangs. No answers. We are without word or deed to ease the pain. We pray. Makeshift memorials and “gofundme”sites have been established to help those who have lost loved ones, but we feel helpless.
As a Christ follower, I want to do more. These words are our declaration of hope to world.
When we long to bring hope, but our hands feel empty- we will chose to look for goodness even in darkness
- When we are fearful, we will be unshakeable.
- When we question the sovereignty of God,We will ask for the courage to wrap arms around a faith which will not let us go.
- We choose to believe even in the darkest of night, hope remains.
- We believe, God is trustworthy even when life doesn’t make sense.
- We choose to live and not die. We chose to hold fast and not give in to the ugly places of mankind- even when it hard.
When there are more questions than answers and this side of eternity feels empty – He is there.
When fear breathes hard and fast right behind us and the peace he has promised feels out of reach – He is there.
When the Goliath of fear appears before us more real than our faith – This one thing He has promised – He is there.
When David stood up to Goliath, he did not come with armor or sword.
He faced him with only five smooth stones in his sling. The weapon he held to fight this giant did not make sense to anyone else. God gave him what he needed in that moment. Incredible yes, but, I wonder, was David fearful? Did his heart pound out of his chest? Were his knees shaking?
I would have been all of those things of this I am certain! The Bible does not say for sure, but I can only imagine he was all of those things. He walked into impossibility and chose faith in God as he walked.
You and I must do no less.
My friends, if your heart is hurting tonight or you, like me are struggling to keep hold of your faith, will you stand with me? May I stand with you?
Father in Heaven, you seem far away and we are afraid. We wonder sometimes if you close your eyes for just a moment when hard things happen. You have promised you will never leave or forsake us, but we struggle to hold fast in pain. We confess our fear, confusion and grief on behalf of those who hurt in this moment. Your faithfulness does not depend on our faith. Thank you that you do not waver or change. We choose to lay at your feet in this moment. We choose to trust in you, even when nothing makes sense.
Lord, surround the precious one who read these words. Touch them at the deepest point of their need. Wrap them with great love tonight and hold them close. Speak love over them even now. Amen
If you are struggling and need specific prayer – I invite you to let me pray for you. If you are comfortable doing so, share it here in the comments… if you would rather reach out privately, please email me at nancy@intentionallife.me. You are special, you are loved and you are close to the Father’s heart.
Blessings –
Thanks Nancy.
Yes. Sometimes my friend… Waiting.