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Transcript:
When things are going wrong, it can be difficult to stay on track in our walk with God. When tragedy strikes or when injustice enters our lives, we can find ourselves wondering why these events were allowed to happen if we are diligent in our walk with God.
Today we are going to discuss the fact that despite how things may appear to us, God has in fact never left us. God is always near. Even when we are the victim of evil deeds that come into our midst, God is with us. That being said, God’s ways can be mysterious. God’s ways are not our ways. God’s timing is not necessarily the timing we feel is best. God’s plan is perfect and is not typically the same as the plan we feel is perfect.
God Has Not Forgotten You
It can be easy to feel as though you are forgotten when you are dealing with adversity face to face, day to day. This is a very normal feeling, especially when dealing with friends and family. If friends and family are aware of the adversity we are facing, and there is no attempt from them to communicate with us or reach out for support, it is only natural to think that we have been forgotten.
The difference, of course between friends, family, and God, is that God loves you more than any human on earth. God loves you more than you or I can possibly comprehend, so how God shows up for you in the face of adversity, most likely includes considerations that you and I do not have the capacity to understand. Let’s touch on 3 things to consider if we feel as though God has forgotten us.
3 things to consider if you feel as though God has forgotten you
#1 God’s timing is not necessarily the same as our timing. When we have a deadline in the natural world, we most certainly treat it as cut and dry. When we feel as though something must be accomplished by a specific time, this analysis is based on the evidence that we have at the time. This evidence could be in plain black and white on a document, or perceived based on more general factors in our situation.
Only God knows the things that we do not know. God knows what is happening behind the scenes in our circumstances and He knows what is best for us in every situation – even if what is best involves allowing us to experience unpleasant events in order to achieve a future outcome. Let us consider that the timing we desire may not be the timing that is best for us in the scheme of things.
#2 God is patient and may be waiting for you. This can be very challenging to wrap our heads around. There are times that the reason adversity is in our midst is due to our own actions or in-actions. God is kind but God is also patient. Sometimes, God has orchestrated events in such a way as to reveal choices for you to make. Perhaps, choices that will allow you to choose between relying on yourself or relying on God.
I can tell you from past experience, God is patient and willing to wait for you to realize a course of action that may not be what you have in mind but what is best for you. As we have free will, we must choose to trust God with our circumstances and be cautious about trying to stay in control of every nuance of our circumstances.
#3 God’s plan is perfect. As I touched on a moment ago, only God can see all of the factors of your circumstances that may make you feel as though He has forgotten you. He knows the others that are involved and how they are affected. He knows every variation of future events for any decision you make. God lays out an ideal plan for each of us in our lives and sets a stage for us to discover it. Some of us discover this plan sooner than others. Some of us never realize the plan that God has in store for us.
3 things to pray if you feel as though God has forgotten you
So we have discussed 3 things to consider if we find ourselves in a situation where we feel that God has forgotten us. So, what do we do as we wait? What do we do if we are in the midst of a situation that is stressful and difficult even though we are doing our best to remain steadfast in our walk with God? Let’s discuss 3 things we can bring to God in prayer as we navigate difficult times.
#1 Pray for peace and calm. In the midst of difficult circumstances, pray to God to ask Him to touch your heart and mind with peace and calm. Bring your concerns to Him, share with Him your worries and fears, share with Him your questions, and ask Him to give you peace. Ask Him to give you calm. Ask Him to give you comfort in a way that only He can do.
#2 Pray for guidance. One of the things we can do in the midst of difficult circumstances is to pray for guidance. Pray that God shows you the way to move through the situation. Take time to acknowledge your instincts to take control, but yield this control to God. Surrender the situation to God, asking Him to provide you with signs to follow at each step of the way. Here is something important, I encourage you to maintain a posture of walking forward in your circumstances vs waiting for specific signs. Walk forward, using the best judgment that you have, AND ask God to course correct you as you walk. God rewards the faithful, and walking in faith will place you in the best situation to learn His plans for you.
#3 Pray that His will be done. My last and perhaps most important tip for this message is to pray that His will be done. This can be the most difficult step because we typically believe that we know everything about a difficult situation and that we know what the outcome should be. I believe, the sooner we understand that God’s will is the most important thing we should seek, the better off we will be. Pray that He reveals His plans for you so that you do not miss the opportunities He has pre-ordained. Pray that His’ will be made known to you in your circumstances, even if that will does not favor you over another. Pray that He equips you to carry out His will, knowing and trusting that He knows what is best and when it is best to occur for you and even others in your circumstances.
Wrap Up
Today we discussed things we should consider when it feels as though God has forgotten about us. We also discussed things we can bring to God in prayer so that we can align ourselves with God’s plans for our circumstances.
Without question, it is only human for us to feel despair and anxiety, and stress in the midst of difficult circumstances. What many of us do not realize is that we have God in our corner at every step. Let us choose to lean on God with all of our might and every fiber of our being when we feel lost and alone. God is there to comfort us with open arms, ready to receive us and shower us with love in a way that only He can do.
Are you interested in discovering more about the guidance offered in this message? Learn more in the companion article Going Deeper with the Word: When It Seems All Is Lost
