Three years ago, I received an e-mail from a blog reader whose personal and family life had been plagued by a series of issues and problems. She wrote of the agony and pain that had taken its toll on her family and wondered how she could navigate her escape.
A common thread that ran through her e-mail was the unexpressed question:
Where’s God in my pain?
Are you in a waiting season?
How do you respond to someone like that? How do you encourage someone who’s ‘tired’ of the waiting season? How do you hold the hand of a reader who’s thousands of miles away, look them in the eyes and say the words:
“Everything will be alright.”
Her words, “I’m tired of waiting upon the Lord” almost crushed me. I felt she wanted to hold on but was losing the strength and energy to carry on.
Waiting seasons can be extremely challenging and difficult. Sometimes, you just need closure and a fresh start. Sometimes a ‘simple’ clarity of why things are happening the way they are will suffice. But sometimes, we get neither.
What’s God teaching you?
Having your life on standstill can be a gruelling experience. The waiting season can be tough and cloudy at times. Sometimes you want to scream:
What are you up to, God?
Our waiting season is an opportunity to learn from the journey. It took Israel 40 years to learn one lesson: TRUST.
What is God teaching you in your waiting season? What’s God up to in your life?
While you wait
I can’t make your pains go away. God can. But even if He hasn’t, never give up! Resolve in your mind that your joy will come in the morning. Never give up! The idea that you’ll eventually drown under the weight of troubles is a complete lie of the devil.
While you wait, pray for God’s divine intervention in every situation of your life. While you wait, praise God for His divine answers to your prayers.
Hope is a powerful antidote for hopelessness. I may succeed in inspiring and encouraging you, but the decision to trust, to hope is yours to make… and yours alone. So, what will you do today?
Question: How do you maintain a positive attitude when things get tough?
Image courtesy of Eudald | Flickr