Have you ever spent nights on your knees in tearful prayer, practically begging God to grant a specific request?
If could be anything from getting a new job, restoring a relationship, or healing a sick loved one.
And while there are times God answers our prayers in the ways we prefer, there are other times He doesn’t – or, at least not in the way we had hoped. And it’s in that moment we have a critical choice to make.
We can either choose to become angry at God and doubt His goodness, while allowing our hearts to fill with despair.
Or…
We can humbly recognize that our lives are under His control, remind ourselves that He is sovereign, and choose to continue trusting in Him.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
Since our ways are not His ways, we must remember that we see our situation through our limited minds – while God sees the whole picture.
He does understand the pain you are going through and He does hear your cries.
Because we live in a fallen world with other sinners, evil does happen.
Husbands abandon and leave their families because they’ve walked away from God or ignored His commands.
People get sick and die from diseases like cancer or lose their minds to Alzheimer’s.
But regardless of the pain we face on this side of heaven, we know that God can redeem and restore what we’ve lost.
He is always sovereign and in control, and His perfect plan can never be thwarted.
During a crisis or trial, the enemy tries to get us to doubt the goodness of God.
But we must remember, even if we don’t understand why something has happened, we can know that God is always good.
So if you’re going through a dark season, I encourage you to cling to the hope of the cross.
God has promised He will never leave or forsake His own children and that He will walk through the darkest valleys with us.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
If you have faced a closed door in your life, or a situation that you just can’t seem to fix, pray for God to help you see it through His eyes.
Ask Him to fill you with His perfect peace that surpasses all understanding, and give you wisdom to navigate through your current storm.
And remember – so long as you are still alive and breathing, God is not done with you yet!
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
Don’t be afraid to cry out to God in your deepest pain and lament your sorrows to Him.
God will comfort you and show you the way forward, even if you can’t see it yet.
And as you pray, even if the answer is “no” – don’t lose heart – God is still sovereign, and always on His throne.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” – John 3:16-17
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