I’ve been struggling this past year with wanting some answers from the Lord that, so far, haven’t been forthcoming. I have prayed, fasted, pleaded and cried out for the answers to my questions. When they have not come, I have sought out godly counsel by talking to pastors, other ministers, friends and other wise folks. In my search I have bought and read so many books and CD teachings that I can open my own bookstore! I have become the “Google Queen”, searching online even in the middle of the night for someone somewhere who has asked the same questions before and got the answers. All this to no avail, leaving me frustrated and wondering.
I’ve been misunderstood by many, ridiculed by some and accused of being impertinent by others!
There are those who think we should never question God and say I am arrogant to do so. Huh? I think I am in good company: Job, David, Jeremiah and so many others cried out to God in a desperate search for answers to their hearts’ cries.
- Psalm 13:1 How long, oh Lord, how long will You forget me? Forever? How long will You look the other way?
Even Jesus Himself questioned the Father:
- Matthew 27:46 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Then there are those who say there are just some things you will never know until you get to heaven, so don’t even bother trying to figure them out. Hmmm…..that’s not what the Word says:
- Proverb 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
- Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
There are others who tell me that God isn’t answering me in order to teach me a lesson. Ughh, the good old ’suffering doctrine’ crowd – you gotta love ‘em. Contrary to what many think, God uses the Word to teach us; He doesn’t make us miserable or put cancer on us to instruct us.
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Some others say that it is my ‘cross to bear’ and I should pick it up and carry it with no complaint, entering into His sufferings. Unanswered questions are my cross to bear? Jesus already bore everything for us on the cross! The only suffering we are to bear is for the Word’s sake – persecution for doing things His way and resisting temptation. The rest we have authority over, thanks to Jesus.
- 2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
The Greek word for persecution used in the above verse is “dioko” which means: to drive away, to harass, to trouble, to persecute. Notice, sickness, poverty and unanswered prayer are not part of the definition of persecution!
Persecuted is definitely what I have been feeling listening to some of these people. Imagine earnestly seeking truth and being told some of this silliness. I know people mean well, but the wisest counsel has been from the honest ones. They may not have the answers but they admit it and don’t hand out platitudes and unbiblical stuff.
Anyway, so why haven’t I received the answers I am seeking? Today I found out why: I haven’t been persistent enough in “digging my well”.
Let me explain. A pastor friend of mine, Ben Conway, pastors a church in England. He recently wrote a book called Rivers and Wells, and I read it today.
In it he talks about the need for us to seek out God for ourselves. While we are new in the Lord it is okay to seek out answers from others such as pastors, healing ministries, counselors, etc. But, as we grow up in the Lord, He desires for us to walk closely with Him and commune so deeply with Him that we get filled (our well) so much we can flow out to others (our rivers).
- John 7:38 He who believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
- Proverb 16:22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it…
As a not-so-immature Christian, I know how to do that. I know I must be fed in order to feed others; I do that daily (fill up and then pour out to others). However, because of frustration in not getting answers to these couple of questions, I’ve pulled a small part of myself away from God, mainly out of a spirit of rejection. Instead of pulling away, I need to dig my well deeper and seek Him even more! He has promised if I do, He will be found.
- Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
How does one “dig deeper”? One dedicates more time to the Lord. One becomes “bulldog” tenacious – not giving up! One values what they are seeking more than anything else (more than TV, internet, work, relaxation, shopping, etc).
- Luke 15:8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?”
There is a story in the Word about a widow who went to an unjust judge begging for justice. She kept hounding him and he wouldn’t answer her….yet she never gave up. In the end, he said:
- Luke 18:5 (NLT) “….but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!”
The scripture goes on to say what more we can expect from God who is a just judge!
I encourage you to dig in! Don’t give up! Keep on believing God is good and He hears you when you cry!
Keep the faith!
I am very grateful to Ben for his obedience to write this book, and I highly recommend you read it, too. You can download a copy or buy a paperback version of Rivers and Wells here: Rivers and Wells
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
For most people, becoming a Christian is very easy in the sense that they hear the promise of God for salvation and they believe it and they act on it as if it is true.
What about the multitudes of promises beyond salvation? If we really and truly believed, and acted upon, them, shouldn’t we all be walking here on earth as if it is in heaven? Why is it so easy to believe for salvation but not for the other promises of God?
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1
If we were full of confidence that what the Word promises us – in this life – we would be in a state of earnest expectation. We would also be preparing ourselves for the arrival of the promises. If we truly believe and expect, that is what we would do.
Let’s look at a few biblical promises in light of today’s world. The promises of God are for whosoever (that means YOU and me!) and many are not only eternal, they are also temporal (in this lifetime, not just after death).
PROMISE
…..If you hearken diligently and obey the voice of the Lord, all these blessings shall come upon you (healing, great harvests, finances, social success, and more). If you don’t hearken and obey, all these curses shall come upon you (sickness, disease, poverty, and more) Deuteronomy 28:1-68
Do you really believe this promise? Are you seeing more curses than blessings in your life right now? Could it be you DO believe the scripture, but you aren’t taking the needed action steps to fulfill this promise? It is clearly stated, “IF you hearken and obey, THEN the blessings come.” The hearken and obey is our part. We cannot have the blessings part without the hearken and obey part any more than a tennis player can win the championship without being in training hours each day for years.
Are you spending time in His Word (the hearken part) and doing what He leads you to do (the obey part)? If you are stuck at this place, one thing that works for me: Go back to the last thing God told you to do that you didn’t do, and do it. You will break through that blockage.
PROMISE
Jesus said: “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Matthew 21:22
Are you seeing evidenced answers to 100% of what you are asking for in prayer? Why not? Let’s assume you believe – you have confidence in the promise. Let’s say you are asking for that bonus you deserve at work, or a new job with higher pay, or to close a deal; all of these would help you give to a charity you respect and will let you take that cruise you’ve been dreaming about for years!
What would a person be doing who is in total and absolute confidence that what he or she believes will come to pass? One would be preparing! If you really believed that bonus, new job or deal was coming, you’d br researching the charities that pull on your heart strings to determine where the money, once it is manifested into reality, will go. If you were going on a cruise, you would be looking up cruise lines to see which one goes where you want to go and has the activities you want to do. You would be dieting and exercising like crazy to look your best when you are lying on the pool deck, and to eat all the gourmet food!
In other words, you would act as if you already have it – which is what the scripture says we are to do: Believe you receive WHEN YOU PRAY! You don’t have it yet at the time you are praying, but believing you do gets you there.
PROMISE
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
Often we cry out for wisdom. “God, puhleeze tell me what to do!!!” But we do not take the steps to receive that wisdom. Many times when I pray for wisdom, I have total assurance I will receive it, but it does not come the way I think it should – divinely *plopped* into my brain! Nope. Usually, God will put wise people in my path, or a devotional, a scripture or a book before me; all of which contains the wisdom I need. My part is to mine for the wisdom; seek it out, trusting that He is giving it to me at the time I have need of it. We cannot pray, ask for wisdom and then sit on the couch watching TV waiting for wisdom to knock on the door. We must do our part and actively pursue it as God puts it in front of us.
Are you doing your part by having confidence in the promise AND taking your action steps to receive your promises? I would love to see how the world would look if we all believed and acted on those beliefs – it surely would be heaven on earth!
Keep the faith!
Everywhere I turn, I am seeing good and godly people struggling just to hold on. Friends are in dire straits financially. Strong Christians are sick and not getting better. Panic and fear are gripping those who should know better.
This causes two things to happen: One, anger rises up in the core of my being – anger that I still don’t have enough victory myself to be able to help them all; anger that the devil is having a field day trampling down God’s people. Two, my desire to find the causes, the answers and the manifestation of the promises of God is kicked up into high gear.
At 3:30 this morning, while talking to God, I realized that many Christians say they are “standing in faith”, but they really are not. They are “standing in hope”. The hope is not biblical hope, though; it is akin to worldly wishing. “I hope I get better”, “I hope I get that job”, “I hope we can pay the mortgage this month”, ”I hope the economy gets better soon”, and “I sure hope God comes through”.
Part of the reason they have gone from biblical hope (earnest expectation for God to perform His word), is that their shields of faith are riddled with dents from fiery darts. Their helmets of salvation are sitting lopsided on their heads. Their breastplates of righteousness are tarnished. The belts of truth around their waists need a couple more notches to tighten them up. Their swords are rusty and need a trip to the sharpener. Their shoes of peace have turned into flip-flops of stress and worry.
Another reason they are wishing instead of being in biblical hope is that they have not truly transferred their burdens to Him. Yes, they say they have, but they really haven’t. I do that all the time. “God, please take care of this for me”, I say in the morning, and then proceed to think about it and let it simmer inside me all day long. Partly because the issue doesn’t get solved immediately and partly because I won’t let God have the time He needs to solve it for me.
In saying all of this, it is not to put condemnation upon anyone – not even myself. I am saying it because we need to take a step back from the pain, the fear and the stress. We MUST get in closer to God now! We need to stop navigating by our feelings and instead do so by the word of God. Psalm 91:1 says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty”. What a great place to be!
The ONLY kind of hope that we must have is clearly stated in Hebrew 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.
God wants us to get our hopes up! Hope in Him! Hope in His word! Let’s put the devil on notice by getting into the word of God and standing in faith on what it says, and not what the world and our circumstances say!
Keep the faith!
My last entry about the man calling the radio station asking about unanswered prayer caused quite a lot of response! I told you I would give you some of my thoughts – here is part one (more to follow).
Speaking with admittedly a broad brush, for the sake of discussion, Western Christianity is pretty much split into two camps. The “faith camp” and the “suffering camp”. The faith camp believes God desires to heal and does indeed heal today. The suffering camp believes God may or may not desire to heal and may or may not heal today.
The faith camp goes to extremes when they condemn people who remain sick as being faithless (which is not totally scriptural). The suffering camp views everything that happens to them as being from God, so if a person is sick and not healed, it must be God’s will (which is definitely not scriptural at all).
So what does a person who loves God do when they are faced with a situation of unanswered prayer for healing? They have prayed and prayed, stood on the Word, stood in umpteen prayer lines, been on every church’s prayer list and done all they know to do, to no avail.
Since we know God is not ever wrong, thank You, God! And we know His Word is very clear – sickness is a curse (Deuteronomy 28:15-68) and Jesus became a curse for us so those who believe can be free of the curse (Galatians 3:13). So, where does that leave us who need answered prayer? The fault lies with us, with the devil, or a combination of the two – it cannot be God!
Since I am a practical person and always want to know “what does it look like in real life?” let me show you some examples:
Lack of Knowledge
The bible says “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6 God is saying HIS own people are destroyed! He puts the knowledge there for us, but it is up to us to diligently find it, and to act on it when we know what it is. One of my favorite preachers always says, “When people say ‘I’ve done all I know to do and it still isn’t working’, I tell them ‘Then you don’t know all you need to know!’ They need to seek more.”
An old friend of mine suffered for years, since childhood, with gastrointestinal trouble. She would literally vomit every morning and have to lie in a tub of water for a long time, just to be able to get up and face the day. She was reed-thin and could not gain weight. She had seen doctor after doctor for over three decades. She was a woman of faith and was determined to receive healing, but it never came – she was always disappointed and ended up questioning God, much as the man in the blog entry I posted last.
One day she met a Christian chiropractor and a nutritionist. Immediately, the doctor took her off of all wheat, chocolate and dairy, even before doing any other tests. Within the week, she was vastly improved! Working with this doctor some more with regard to nutrition, and following the instructions, completely healed my friend! Over that first year, she put on weight, grew a healthy glow, and threw up only three times (versus 365). And that was only when she cheated and ate things she knew she shouldn’t.
God was not withholding healing from her all those years – He had it for her all along. It was up to her to seek out knowledge and make the wise decision to act on it when she did.
God is good! Proverbs 2:6 says, ” For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 8:10 says, “Choose My instruction rather than silver, and knowledge over pure gold.”
Stay tuned for more……… Keep the faith!
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NLT)
Often we are blown away when hard times come into our lives. Being a Christian does not mean we will walk a carefree road. Many think that people of faith say that Christians should never have troubles, but that is not true. In fact, Jesus told us we will have trials. But, He also said to be of good cheer (take heart) because He has already prevailed!
Troubles are afflicting many of us these days. High gas prices, home foreclosures, an unstable roller coaster stock market, and more are hitting many of us. People are being tried and pressed in from all sides. What is our response, as Christians, to be? We have two choices.
We can go through these times in misery or we can go through them in joy!
We can choose to murmur and complain, acting in fear, or, we can be of good cheer and trust in Him!
We need to focus on the solution – the Lord and His promises. We must not focus on the troubles. Now, this does not mean we deny the trouble – that would be silly. We cannot be ignorant of what is going on around us. But, we don’t have to major on the trouble. We don’t have to listen to the naysayers. We can turn off CNN (Constantly Negative News). We can shun bleak conversations in which others are moaning and groaning.
God said He will deliver us! He said He will meet our needs! He said He will pick us up when we fall! He said that He will never forsake us! WOW! What more do we need?
He made a promise to Abraham and that promise extends to us, Abraham’s seed (Galatians 3:29). That promise says that He blesses us, He curses our enemies and that our families are blessed! We must focus on the promises of God. He is our provider!
I encourage you today to turn off the gloom and doom; refuse to participate in it. Turn up your faith, and turn on the Word and the promises of God!
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.” Mark 11:22
As mature Christians we are told we aren’t to rely on feelings to know God is with us. If that is the case, I must not be a very mature Christian because I sure like the feel of God!
When surrounded by a world struggling in turmoil, sin and despair, it is sometimes not surprising when doubts start to spout up. When He seems far removed and the walk seems so lonely, I find the doubting “why” questions sneaking into my brain. In times like these, I remember days of feeling His presence all the time, and it almost hurts because I wonder what happened. I cry out, “Where are You, Lord?”
But………………………
One glance up into the clear blue sky, or a stop at the beach to take in the crashing waves of the majestic Pacific, or one look into the faces of my kids erases all doubts that there is a God and He is with me! The sight of my two precious and comical little dachshunds not only tells me there is a God, but that He has a sense of humor, too!
What do we do in the times of drought of feelings? The older I get the more I realize we do the same thing we do with just about everything in life: We choose to step out in faith, in spite of how we feel, knowing - in time – the feelings will come.
Most of us don’t relish getting out of bed when the alarm goes off. Yet, we force ourselves to in spite of our feelings. In a few minutes, we begin to feel differently; we are fully awake and ready to face the day ahead.
We don’t feel like putting on the tennies and going for a walk. But, in spite of how we feel, we do it anyway. Ten minutes into it, we start to feel better. When we are done, we are glad we did it.
You may not feel like going to the business function with your spouse. You override your feelings and choose to go anyway. Once you are there, you find you are actually enjoying the event.
Feelings are fickle! Feelings are subject to change – we often have to prod them along to change! It is in the doing that the feelings come.
Choose to live in faith, believing and knowing He is with you today. It will change the way you feel!
Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you. Psalm 55:22
Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
Living in emotional pain of any kind can be very discouraging.
Obviously, when one goes through a sad time, such as a death of a loved one, a divorce, loss of a job one loves, death of a beloved pet, a major sickness, etc., there will be a season of troubled emotions. That is to be expected. What is not to be expected is to find oneself stuck in that emotional pain. However, many people are stuck, and no matter what they try to do to unstick themselves, they remain in the pain. Soon they find their lives are on hold because the pain is all-consuming.
I was seriously talking to God about this one day during a time when I was mired in some long-standing residual pain. He told me, clearly, “Give Me the pain!” Now, I have often heard we are to surrender our pain to Him; we are to lay it all down at the foot of the cross; or, add any useless platitude that has been thrown at you which doesn’t help one iota! We need to know: what does it mean? What does ‘giving Him the pain’ look like in real life? Certainly, we cannot wrap it up in a pretty ribbon. We cannot literally rip our hearts out of our chests and lay them on the altar.
I ended up telling God, “I must be dense, Lord, because I just don’t get it. I don’t understand how I am to give the pain to you.” Besides, haven’t I tried to do that a zillion times already? I further told Him, “Lord, the pain is so entwined in the fibers of my inner being. I wouldn’t have a clue how to unravel it to give it to you.”
God spoke to me again, saying, “The pain that causes paralysis and grief has to go. Give it to Me. The other pain, the pain that serves to motivate you and propels you to action? Let it do its work.” Hmmmmm. Here I was given a specific directive from the Lord and I was still puzzled. “HOW??” I cried.
After a few moments, it was strongly impressed upon me that I was to live as if I was pain-free! What does a person who has no pain do? What would they do today? Tomorrow? Next week? A healthy, pain-free person would live each day full of joy, energy, fun and happiness….. they would DO! They would take life by the tail and run with it!
So, how do you do it? You make a choice. You purpose in your heart to live pain-free by faith. You step out in faith and He meets you there. When the pain starts to suck you under again, you speak to it saying, “No! I reject you pain in Jesus’ Name! I live pain-free!” Refuse to give into it again. You have the victory, as always – if you persevere!
