Have you ever asked yourself this question, “Does God hear me?”
Hello God?
This is me.
I have a problem and I could really use your help.
Sound familiar?
Perhaps you’ve prayed about something sad going on in your life and there doesn’t seem to be any answers.
You’ve been praying for a long time and yet, nothing changes.
There’s no quick fix. No relief. Nothing.
Where is God? Is He even listening?
We know to trust God, but sometimes, from our human perspective, it appears that He is silent.
As we learn throughout our lives, our desires do not always line up with God’s sovereign will. His Will and providence are always greater, even if we don’t understand it in our grief. Fortunately, a day is coming when we will understand.
Do bad things happen to just me?
If you’ve ever felt that way, first off, you’re not alone.
The Bible tells us that David prayed desperately to God for relief from his adversaries. His pleas are echoed throughout the Psalms.
And not only David. There are many true accounts of Biblical heroes, men and women, who endured personal struggles with courage and perseverance.
Hardships are a given part of our lives until we reach Heaven.
As Christians, what we have in the meantime is the wonderful promise from God that there’s eternal victory for us in Heaven.
How long, Lord?
How long must we suffer, Lord? No one knows for sure, but we do know that Jesus rose from the dead and He’s preparing a place of eternal joy for His children. His Word is His bond and His truth is absolute. We can rest in that assurance.
In the following Bible verse, the apostle Paul addresses Titus, a Greek believer as an encouragement for the evangelism task ahead.
*Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior – Titus 1:1-3, ESV
We worship God, who never changes through the ages and He never lies.
In the meantime, we also have a community of brothers and sisters in Christ. We don’t have to feel alone.
If you haven’t found a church home yet, I encourage you to find one that is bold in preaching the truth of Scripture, mission-minded, and also a supportive body of believers.
There have been challenges in my own life when I’ve turned to close friends who have prayed with me. I am so thankful and I know whom to call 🙂
Broken, but not defeated
We must quietly wait for the Lord to reveal His purpose in our suffering, whether it’s in this life or when we get to Heaven.
Even if it’s hard, we must remain faithful in the midst of our distress. Grumbling, complaining, and blaming God is not the right response.
I’ve had some friends and family members who have lost their fight with cancer. As devastating as their deaths were, they may never have known at the time how their godly perspective of their suffering was an inspiration to all of us who loved them. There’s also the very real possibility that their witness directed lost friends to Christ.
I mean that with my whole heart.
Whether it was during personal visits or even from their posts on Facebook, I saw their joy and anticipation, because these dear people had Jesus in their hearts.
No matter what this dreadful disease took away from them physically, no affliction could ever rob them of their inner beauty and spirit.
A Christian perspective from California
My sister-in-law, Cathie, wanted to share this insight from the Book of Lamentations.
31 For the Lord will not
cast off forever,
32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
33 for he does not afflict from his heart
or grieve the children of men. – Lamentations 3:31-33
In her own words, here’s why these verses mean so much to Cathie:
“When my sister was in remission from melanoma, I once asked her which Bible verses and hymns sustained her during her horrific season of chemotherapy. The above verse from Lamentations is the one I distinctly recall. At the time I was unfamiliar with this verse; but now it is highlighted in pink in my Bible. My sister suffered assorted afflictions during the fifty-three years of her life. All of them were undeserved; none of them resulted from bad choices or a rebellious life style. Yet, she remained faithful to her Lord until her death.
My sister’s accomplishments set the standards for my own life. Much of who I am today is a result of my desire to be like my sister. I am grateful for the gift of a sister who modeled daily Bible reading, suffered with grace, and pointed me towards the compassion and steadfast love of Christ Jesus.”
Thank you, Cathie.
I rejoice that our loved ones in Christ are now walking with our Savior in Heaven. What a reunion we will all have someday!
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* Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version, The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
