Ignored. Cast aside and dejected. Persecution is a mounting presence of pressure seeping into a once fruitful faith life. With sickness permeating the mind and body--the darkness has fallen.
This is not from the Old Testament or a crash course in sucking it up due to life. Aren't trials more for people in Biblical times since Christ fulfilled His mission anyway? That was then, so why is everything so unpleasant? It is not like you haven’t tried to communicate with God about what the deal is. You've prayed and prayed and this looks like a one-sided conversation and even an echo chamber. You can't go back, you can't move forward. If you ever gave up on God or are doing so now, we can't stop you. If we are frank, this is something that we never converse about. This might not be the answer, but we don't know God at all. Here is why I gave up on the interpretation of God.We believe what we want.
What has happened? God is not what you imagined or what people said He was going be. No, you are not nuts for doubting the Creator. We are in an information overload with devotionals and selective messaging, which pumps us with positive messaging. No wonder we believe that God has to come to our aid or help us on a whim. We are taught that God will be there no matter what. Guess what? Sometimes He's not answering our call. If we are taught or believe that God will show up when we want Him, we are lying to ourselves. There will be times that He will answer you and there will be times, you will remain in the dark.Accept that we don't know anything.
As tempting as it is to arrogantly believe that we know God 100 percent is rubbish. No wonder we are wanting to give up on Him. We need faith, this is true--but this blind faith is getting harder and harder when the light is out on our trust. "If you get tired of telling Him about your problems, give it a rest. He won’t forget, and we certainly know that you won’t, but when God’s timing isn’t in alliance with yours and you keep running into a brick wall, why keep whacking your head," author Carolyn Henderson explained. God’s all you’ve got and He really is enough.What are you believing?
We can't believe in God that is portrayed by humans. When is the last time you checked on the latest sermon to see if it is Scriptural? Pretty convicting, isn't it? If the message is just about getting what you want from God, then you will give up on the Lord. Who wants to be promised presents and receive nothing on Christmas Day? It is the same here. Who are you really listening to when it comes to God's character? Even theologians get it wrong, all of us are in the same boat. We don't always receive the miracles that we crave.We are too focused on today.
Focusing on our careers and climbing the ladder to success above others will never bear fruit at the end of your life. Jesus said: “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." If we are living in the now, we might have nothing left when we leave this life.We will suffer.
As much as it pains us to face, we were called to suffer. If Jesus' aim was to not be comfortable and to serve man, are we not included when it comes to pain? Jesus was poor, didn't have His own bed and did not have wealth. He relinquished His eternal riches and most of the privileges to follow the will of God. “Truly I say to you that with difficulty a rich person will enter into the kingdom of heaven," He told a young rich man. Will we suffer? Yes, as this is part of the gig.Find out who God is.
We can find out who God really is by worshiping Him and remain still in our darkest hour. We can't rely on books, videos or preachers to reveal who this Creator really is--these are mere tools. Psalm 100 recorded that we "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His spirits with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” When we worship God we forget our own troubles and shift our thoughts to a higher purpose. This honors the Lord, but it also gets our minds off of ourselves. When you do this, God can move without you getting in the way because you want to control everything. Read the word, pray and don't take people's word of what God is. Find out for yourself and look honestly into your heart of anything that is distorting your thinking.We've interpreted God all wrong and maybe we still are. One will never truly know who is right or who is wrong until we are called to leave earth. Even then, the mystery might never be resolved. If you are ready to give up on God, you are in good company. But ask yourself a question. "Who are you truly following?" Is it the God of the Bible or a god that meets your own standards? Living a free life doesn't mean it will be satisfactory. Yet, knowing that you are not alone makes dealing with hardship less lonely. James 1:2-4 said to "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." Shouldn't we?
