There have been times in my life where life seemed to snowball in trouble. Whether the troubles can be seen from the outside or not, here on the inside, my heart was overwhelmed. I couldn’t help but wonder where God is. I wondered why God hasn’t done anything to prevent the hurts and disasters. Sometimes I have felt as though I were watching a nightmare reel of some movie containing my greatest fears. But it wasn’t a movie. It was my reality.
I know that the tough times in my life are different than some of the difficult times in the lives of others. I am neither trying to elevate mine, or reduce them. What I know is that they left me in a state which I never wanted to be in. Deep pain. Rejection. Abuse. Falsely accused. Hurt. Damaged. Filled with self-doubt. Devastated.
What do you do when life serves up your deepest fears on a plate and forces you to eat from them? What do you do when everything seems to be pushing you into a cycle of darkness?
Before Job’s friends started getting really cruel, one of them speaks words that I believe are helpful for us to hear when we are in the midst of the messes of life. “If I were you, I would go to God and present my case to Him. He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.” – Job 5:8-9
Present my case to God. Why? Doesn’t He already know? Doesn’t He have the power within Him to change my circumstances and prevent this from happening to me?
Yes.
And yet, the very best thing we can do when life is pounding us into the sand like the waves beating against the shore is to go to the One who sees, who knows, and who understands the purpose for allowing it. When we go to Him, God may change our circumstances. He may rescue us, and remove us from the situation, much like the lifeguard on the shore.
However, God may not.
Even when we present our case to Him, God may choose to allow us to stay in the midst of it. Why? I cannot say. He is God and I am not. His ways are higher than my ways and His understanding is deeper than what my mind can even begin to comprehend. But make no mistake: the hurt and the pain- the situation in which we find ourselves is not wasted. It will be redeemed for the good.
My fears, my hurts, my baggage as a whole lose their power when I give present them to God. When I give them to Him, they are no longer mine to carry, worry about, be consumed by.
Remember who God is. He is not absent from us in our times of trouble. He is near. Psalm 34:18 “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 145:18 “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” Jeremiah 23:23 “Am I a God who is near,” declares the LORD, “And not a God far off?”
We are to “Look to the LORD and His strength” and “Seek His face always.” (1 Chronicles 16:11). Especially when we are in the midst of trouble, we need to go to the One who can hold us, carry us, encourage us, guide us, and provide for us.
Looking back over those times that have been the most difficult, I have come to realize one common thread. Those times have brought me into a deeper understanding of how deep, how wide, and how great God’s love for me really is. While my earthly reality changed, my eternal relationship with my Father grew.
That growth is something priceless.
“If I were you, I would go to God and present my case to Him…”
Blessings!