“for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.” 1 John 5:4
How hard is it to face challenging times of life fully united to God’s Will and in full trust?
Most people will do one of two things faced with extreme difficulty – run or stand up. This speaks to truth of the old saying, “there are no atheists in foxholes.” When the ‘bullets’ start to fly, you see the courage or fear within the soul.
Most people will move forward depending upon their own strength. Some will move forward in prayer.
But, the question I ponder this morning is, “what happens to that prayerful soul when God isn’t answering?” Or, maybe it’s more, “…when God isn’t answering how I’d like?”
How many times does this lack of faith and trust actually get in the way of God’s Will?
““Tell souls not to place within their own hearts obstacles to My mercy, which so greatly wants to act within them.” Divine Mercy in my soul # 1577
At times, I think our efforts to ‘help’ God can get in His way and hold us back. Not to mention those times when we simply fight His Will.
During those months of my daughter’s first struggle with Lupus, I prayed a lot – ALOT. I prayed in faith. I knew that if God chose, He could heal her right then. No doubt. I even surrendered by ending prayers with ‘Thy Will be done.’ But, even in these faithful prayers I lacked faith. Honestly, when I felt Hod wasn’t doing what I thought He should, to heal her, I started to struggle.
But, that faith also carried me along instead of letting me collapse. In the years since, I’ve realized that God was always listening and was hard at work. He only asks for us to have faith.
My prayer was for healing which I knew God could do. His answer wasn’t what I had desires but was actually much greater. I look back now, still knowing God could have healed her in any of those prayers. But, if He had healed her, I would have remained on that plateau of faith. Of course, I would have praised Him, but, I would have been stuck in that place. Because His plan was broader and greater, He allowed me to struggle through some tough days so my level of trust in Him could grow.
As strange as it might sound, I thank God that He didn’t answer those thousands of prayers. I am a much stronger man of faith because of His silence. My trust in God has grown tremendously, He knew the better path.
See the full story of this in “I Knew His Voice”, available on Amazon.
I’ve realized that often, pain is necessary for growth. And, the best method to handle the rapids in the river of life is to let go and follow the current which is God’s Will.
Think back through your life at times of challenge and struggle. Did you feel you had a strong faith and had surrendered to God’s Will? How did you grow closer to God through these times?
Do trust God enough to allow His silence or even “no” to be ok.