"i'm really frustrated," she admitted to me over the phone. i could hear the defeat, the exhaustion in her voice.
medical bills, diagnosis, prescriptions, blood tests, doctor appointments, waiting for results, all while the ailment attacked her body. it was all getting to be too much. you know the saying, sick and tired of being sick and tired? that's exactly the place where my friend was when she called me that day.
we have been praying for her healing for months. and she is on the road to getting well! just last week when she called she sounded great and said she was feeling great. she shared with me an intimate moment she had with God on her morning walk on the beach. that day on the shore, she put her illness in God's hands and trusted Him for her healing. she was happy and filled with peace.
but she didn't wake up the next morning completely healed. or the next morning. or the next morning. and there are still doctor appointments to make, prescriptions to take, and medical bills to pay. and that intimate moment with God on the beach? now seems like a distant memory.
it's hard to hang on to God's promises when everything else is slipping through your fingers. it's hard to stay in that place of His peace when the phone rings and it's the doctor's office again. it's hard to believe your prayers are being answered when you're still sick and tired.
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this little cartoon that i found on Pinterest says it all.
God is there. He does hear our prayers. He is healing. He is protecting. His promises are good yesterday, today, and forever. He sees you, He hears you. He knows you're frustrated.
but He doesn't want you to stay that way. that intimate moment on the beach? that moment of peace when we gave our cares all to Him and joyfully trusted Him, completely? He wants that with us every day.
the road to recover might be long, and it's easy to get sick and tired of being sick and tired. but hang on! God is good! keep hope. in moments of frustration, take a step back and imagine, like in this cartoon, your Great Big God blocking the blows. stop looking for miraculous signs, instead look for the countless blessings that are in your every day. take God for His Word, and take it seriously. believe it today as much as you believed it yesterday. yes, there might be a "rock" that hits you now and then, but remember, God is doing major good things on your behalf. He goes before you. He stands behind you. He is always by your side.
read Jeremiah 29:11:
"I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
(keep reading)
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me,
and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me
when you seek me with all your heart.
I will be found by you," declares the Lord.
the Message version puts it this way:
"When you call on me, when you come
and pray to me, I’ll listen.
When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.
"Yes, when you get serious about finding me
and want it more than anything else,
I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed." God’s Decree.
"I’ll turn things around for you..."
i am praying you know that you know that you know that your God is good. He loves you so much. and just like He did that day on the cross, He is dodging rocks for you today.
