One of the biggest problems in society at present is that people want everything now. It’s this kind of thinking that gets people to run up massive credit debts and start a spiral of debt they cannot repay. It’s this type of thinking that sees a couple take out a mortgage for a house that is over and above what they can afford or need. Sometimes it’s no different in the Christian life. We pray and expect God to answer when we want it. In other words, NOW. But God doesn’t always work that way.
The truth is that we only see the small picture. We now we have a need or want and we expect God to answer our prayer. But God sees the big picture. He knows how things will ultimately work out and what answer is best for us whether that is yes, no or wait till some other time.
Sometimes when we cry out to God and the answer doesn’t come when we expect it, we start to have doubts. I know Mick and I felt like that when the sale of our house in Orange and move to the South Coast didn’t work out as we’d thought. For a time we were tempted to doubt God and ourselves. Had we God it wrong? Was this not what God had planned for us? But God kept encouraging us to believe and have faith that it would happen when His time was right. It was a matter of hanging in there till the time was right.
Difficult times either pull a family apart or bind them even closer together, it pulls them away from God or it pulls then closer. Difficult times for us, and we’ve had our share over the years, have pulled us closer to God. It’s the same with the church.
Hard times can pull a church apart or bind them closer together and closer to God.
There’s an old hymn which has always been a favorite of mine called Turn Your eyes Upon Jesus. When hard times come in our lives, in our marriage, in our family, in our church, that’s exactly what we need to do turn our eyes away from the circumstances and keep them firmly fixed on Jesus.
The best way to do that is through prayer and reading His Word. Claim the promise He has made to us that ‘God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose,’ Romans 8:28.
We may not see how hard times and difficulties will work for our ultimate good but God does and what’s more He’s able to make sure they do. You just have to keep your eyes on Him and trust He knows what He’s doing. Because He does.
Bible verses from The New American Standard Version
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