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anxiety, battlefield, Bible, Book of Psalms, challenge, Christian, churches, crisis, discouragement, emotional, endurance, Faith, faith walk, God's power to turn things around for good, Hope, Job, King David, missions, physical and spiritual struggles, practical help, praise, prayer, Queen Esther, restoration, send an SOS, survival skills, urgent prayer request
“Restoration and hope is available each time you return to God.”
― Jim George
When an emergency arises on the mission or the battle field or on a deserted terrain, a seasoned traveler instinctively knows what to do: they send up a smoke signal, light a flare and carve an urgent message in the dirt. Its called an SOS.
The same is true when a person of faith reaches the end of their rope or has taken on so much of an emotional, physical or spiritual struggle they know they can’t make it alone. They feel trapped even when there is no cage or chains to bind them so they send an emergency prayer to the heavens–an ASAP hope request.
I have been to that place. I am not ashamed to admit I can’t make it on my own. I need God’s help. I rely on His mercy and His grace. Too often I get stuck and I don’t know which way to turn. I pray and I wait. I wait and I pray.
I fall down but He picks me up again. I ask God to reveal any hindrances, to cleanse me from all unrighteousness and to renew my strength so I can carry on. I humble myself to the realization that I must daily rely on God’s help. I search diligently for answers. I investigate every lead trying to find the delicate balance between what I want and what I need.
My family and friends encourage me but I feel I am more of burden than a blessing in return. I grow weary but I keep on doing good even when it seems like what I do is insignificant, unproductive and not leading toward a solution.
I want to believe I’m moving I the right direction. But too often it seems like I’m not even dancing the one step forward and two steps back routine. No I’m just stuck–frozen in time or hanging in limbo not knowing what comes next. Its an awkward paralysis. A heaviness. My knee jerk reaction is to find someone or something to blame but I’ve come too far in life for that.
As a problem solver I don’t spend too much time trying to decide if the glass is half full or half empty. I just drink the water and end the debate.
I’m not scared because I know my Father in Heaven has a perfect plan for me–but I am restless and weary and anxious for that plan to unfold. I strive to make it happen but doors that seemed ajar suddenly slam shut as I reach out to touch the handles. Its as if God says “hands off” and gives no other explanation. I want answers but all I get is silence.
My intentions get me nowhere and I feel totally helpless in situations beyond my control. I say the Serenity Prayer out loud but it does very little to ease my mind. Words . . . just words. Its hard to praise Him in the hallway. I crank up worship music and read bible verses out loud to chase away the negative voices in my head.
I try to take all this in stride but the truth is I’m losing my cool. I want to shake whatever I’m waiting for into existence. I want to re-set the clock. I want solutions and I want them NOW.
The older I get the harder it is to bounce back. I keep thinking God will send a helpmate but that is probably my greatest delusion. I thought for sure he sent one but its hard loving someone who doesn’t love you back. The truth is I am broke, tired, lonely, discouraged, hungry for adventure and losing my patience with life. My heart aches–for me this time. Strike up the violin . . .
Yes I still have compassion for the lost and the hungry and the hurting and I want to inspire, educate, equip and empower others to reach their full potential–but how can I do so effectively when I am losing a grip on my own full potential in Christ?
I’ve always been great at clinging to the intangible things but now I need facts more than feelings. I need a job and a place to live and some clear direction ASAP. I need to pay my storage bill. I need car repairs, healthcare, funds for basic survival. I need to lose some weight–physically, emotionally and spiritually I no longer feel fit for the journey bur I know I must carry on.
This morning I walked around the block and prayed out loud every step of the way. I’m staying with friends in the country so it was not an ordinary little city block–it was a full mile in the Florida heat with hovering clouds, sticky humidity and more than a few drops of rain. It didn’t matter. It did me good to sweat and cry. I needed to stomp in the wet grass and to stick my shoes in the mud. It was refreshing to soak my hair and to let the raindrops stain my face.
This blog is about hope and it was created to share inspiration and to help others find the best in every situation. Sometimes we have to pep talk ourselves into still believing and into positive thinking. One of the worse things on earth is a preacher who doesn’t take their own advise. Lord help me to stand behind my pen.
Sometimes we have to cry out and write our own Book of Psalms just as David did . . . Sometimes we have to wait for perfect timing and barge forth letting our petition be known before the King, just as Queen Esther did. Sometimes we have to follow our dreams and stand firm even when those we love forsake us and when life circumstances come against us time after time–just as Joseph did.
The stories of the bible are there to help us get through whatever we face. There are valuable and relevant lessons we must apply to our own lives if we hope to endure.
This morning I was also reminded of Job–a man whose faith was tested beyond measure; a man who lost everything but did not lose his faith. Job never gave up on God even when it seemed that God had given up on him. Job held onto faith through unimaginable trials and hardships. In spite of losing cattle, houses, riches even family and friends–Job did not stop believing in a God who would not forsake him. In the end, everything he lost was once again restored. How can anyone read this story and not be willing to trust in God’s power to turn things around for good?
Life is not getting any easier–especially for people of faith. In the days ahead, I believe we will need unfailing hope and a faith like Job’s in order to survive. We will need to be hopeful and resourceful. We will need to help others but never lose ourselves in the process. We will need to find the balance between facts and feelings, between what we want and what we need. We will have to be prepared to rely on our instincts; to strengthen our endurance; to send an SOS and an ASAP hope request whenever times get rough.
Mostly, we must never lose sight of the big picture and the promises God gives to help us through the trials we encounter in our daily lives.