“We must wait for God, long, meekly, in the wind and wet, in the thunder and lightning, in the cold and the dark. Wait, and he will come, He never comes to those who do not wait.” – Frederick W. Faber
I Get Letters: there was such an outpouring of gracious letters in response to the message last week on the mystery of prolonged suffering and prayers going unanswered. That, indeed, God can be bewildering at times. But we need to trust the Lord fully even when we don’t have a clue what’s going on. Here are some of the comments…
From Pam Capone: “Thank you so much for these honest, very real words which spoke to me so. A week ago, I let the dam burst. I had been holding the tears in (somewhat numbed to the despair over an issue in my life), but at a certain point, I let the tears come. And they came, and came and came. This is when I began to cry out to God like I haven’t in a long time. Sure, I’ve prayed, but I haven’t cried out in such anguish as I have this past week. I think because I have been losing hope. No, I have been losing hope. My eyes are just now beginning to recover from the swelling. After a few days of crying out, I began to get signs and affirmations that He is hearing my prayer and I have reason to hope for the issue I have been praying about for years.”
From Dale Ghere: I too struggle with the things you talk about. Fortunately we both have the strength and faith to carry us through the times of struggle. What would happen to our faith if every prayer was answered exactly as requested? Would we need faith any longer or just a list? The life we have been given in Christ is worth the struggle.
From Chelsea Loomis: “Thank you for being so honest about these things, my prayers are with you to feel some relief from the burdens of all of these things, and for a feeling of being buoyed, knowing that God is shouldering it with you.”
From Sean Whiting: “Really deep consideration and beautiful words here, Pastor Jay. Thank you
From Pam Woodbury: “Yep, Jay, sometimes I don’t understand God either. But, He’s God and I’m not and He has His own plan. “Acceptance is the answer. . . “. as the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says.”
From Lizzie Coll: “Bewildering but always faithful and trustworthy. A complexity out of our thought capacity.”
From Bren Adnaniforghani: “Always full of the prayers for others on my heart , I know God is able and will not leave or forsake us.”
From Joni McCollum: Jay, This gave me heartburn. I think this is where our faith and hope come in. And sometimes there are just no words.”
From Kerry Swank: “Thank you , this is needed for all and it helped me.”
From Kirsten Ford: “The Lord WILL be strong in me, when I’m so weak.”
More From Pam Capone: It’s important to mention, I don’t have my miracle yet, however, I am sensing His presence now. And this gives me hope, and something like peace. I don’t know how long I will have to wait for the miracle—Yes, how long, O Lord—but something has changed in me the past couple of days, and my prayer is that this means there is some simultaneous change elsewhere—change that I cannot yet see. So if there is this change in me, maybe God is working on that miracle I have so desperately wanted for so very long. Thank for your massive heart and the honestly you share. I needed this.
Photo of Sophia Tiare Bartlow, who attended Little Church when in our area, died in a tragic traffic accident in Hawaii Saturday night.
Prayer Needs This Week…
- The family of Sophia (seen above) – dad Greg, mother Jericho, brother Rolf, sisters, Bridgette, Eva and Ragull
- Single moms and dads needing wisdom in raising their kids
- The Ungerland’s ministry in Thailand this week
- Shari and Tru Yamamoto leaving for a dental missions trip to Asia next week
- Refuge and Impact (jr & sr high ministries) starting up again this week
- Kurt – brand new believer who just came to Christ last week; that he gets a firm foundation of faith
- Healing – Billy Searles broken neck
Final Thought: Be careful of performance-based Christianity, where your self-worth and assurance of God’s love is derived from your accomplishments, that you judge yourself by what you do and NOT who you are in Christ.
May this be a contented week for all of you,
Jay