Grace Thomas
I’m sure we’ve all had the super awkward experience of calling someone’s name and having everyone BUT the person you called look at you. Then you get the uncomfortable job of trying to diffuse the awkward situation and pretend that you weren’t embarrassed when they didn’t answer you and that what you wanted to tell them wasn’t important enough to require such a scene. I don’t know about you, but that’s one of my least favorite feelings. It feels so much better when the person you call answers right away, smiles at you, and has a two-way conversation with you. If you’re seeking advice they’ll give it to you, if you seek comfort they’ll be there, and if you’re seeking an alternative perspective they’ll give you one.
Those same emotions often occur in our relationship with God. We have those moments in our lives where everything seems to be going perfectly. You were able to pass that test, you got the job you wanted, everything down to the weather was absolutely perfect. You could just open your eyes and see God and everything He was doing for you.
Then all of a sudden it all just stops. You start failing your classes, you lose your job, and it’s rainy and cold all the time. You can’t feel God anywhere and you start to lose hope. When you were younger, you were told to ask God for help and He would come to your aid. So, just like you were told, you call out to Him in prayer. Seemingly, absolutely nothing happens and you continue to feel covered in darkness. Just like when your friend doesn’t answer you, you think what you have to ask for isn’t important enough, and you’re embarrassed you took the risk of calling out to them. Just like that you forget that God is there.
It’s natural to want an immediate response. In our world we get things with the tap of a finger. It only seems natural that when we ask God for something He will answer all desires in the snap of a finger. It’s so easy to think that if we put our trust in God, what we want to happen will. It’s easy to forget that what we want isn’t always what God wants for us. What He wants is even better. Because He doesn’t answer our requests immediately, we start to lose hope and believe that He has abandoned us.
Even in deafening silence it’s crucial to trust in God's presence. Imagine living in the days of Jesus’ crucifixion. The world was falling apart. The Son of God was actually on His way to death. The Apostles were all terrified and were in hiding, and The Betrayal was an inside job. Imagine being a follower of Jesus around those times. You thought God was almighty, and somehow His Son is dying at the hands of humans. Jesus himself isn’t actually putting up that much of a fight. It doesn’t seem like He even cares. Out of the 12 men that followed Jesus for the last 3 years, you’ve only actually seen three of them. One having betrayed Him, and another said they didn’t know Him. If they can’t follow Him through the hard times, how could you? Then, Jesus actually dies. The sky turns black. Your world, that was emotionally falling apart earlier is literally falling apart. Now it’s Saturday, Jesus is dead in the tomb, the Apostles are hiding, and Judas is dead. There is no one to turn to. It seems your God no longer exists, and if He does, he’s being completely silent. You feel completely hopeless. You wake up on Sunday about to turn away from God only to find a fully revived world. Your Savior has somehow risen from the dead, the Apostles are no longer afraid, and you feel God’s hand at work again.
When you feel like God is no longer present in your life, be mindful of those four days: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Remember that when the world seems to be falling apart, and God isn’t answering your prayers, that God’s silence doesn’t mean He’s forgotten you, it just means He has something so much better in store. The miracle of Easter is our proof of this.
Your Sister in Christ,
Grace Thomas
Lauren Daigle-Trust in You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv-SXz_exKE
Those same emotions often occur in our relationship with God. We have those moments in our lives where everything seems to be going perfectly. You were able to pass that test, you got the job you wanted, everything down to the weather was absolutely perfect. You could just open your eyes and see God and everything He was doing for you.
Then all of a sudden it all just stops. You start failing your classes, you lose your job, and it’s rainy and cold all the time. You can’t feel God anywhere and you start to lose hope. When you were younger, you were told to ask God for help and He would come to your aid. So, just like you were told, you call out to Him in prayer. Seemingly, absolutely nothing happens and you continue to feel covered in darkness. Just like when your friend doesn’t answer you, you think what you have to ask for isn’t important enough, and you’re embarrassed you took the risk of calling out to them. Just like that you forget that God is there.
It’s natural to want an immediate response. In our world we get things with the tap of a finger. It only seems natural that when we ask God for something He will answer all desires in the snap of a finger. It’s so easy to think that if we put our trust in God, what we want to happen will. It’s easy to forget that what we want isn’t always what God wants for us. What He wants is even better. Because He doesn’t answer our requests immediately, we start to lose hope and believe that He has abandoned us.
Even in deafening silence it’s crucial to trust in God's presence. Imagine living in the days of Jesus’ crucifixion. The world was falling apart. The Son of God was actually on His way to death. The Apostles were all terrified and were in hiding, and The Betrayal was an inside job. Imagine being a follower of Jesus around those times. You thought God was almighty, and somehow His Son is dying at the hands of humans. Jesus himself isn’t actually putting up that much of a fight. It doesn’t seem like He even cares. Out of the 12 men that followed Jesus for the last 3 years, you’ve only actually seen three of them. One having betrayed Him, and another said they didn’t know Him. If they can’t follow Him through the hard times, how could you? Then, Jesus actually dies. The sky turns black. Your world, that was emotionally falling apart earlier is literally falling apart. Now it’s Saturday, Jesus is dead in the tomb, the Apostles are hiding, and Judas is dead. There is no one to turn to. It seems your God no longer exists, and if He does, he’s being completely silent. You feel completely hopeless. You wake up on Sunday about to turn away from God only to find a fully revived world. Your Savior has somehow risen from the dead, the Apostles are no longer afraid, and you feel God’s hand at work again.
When you feel like God is no longer present in your life, be mindful of those four days: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Remember that when the world seems to be falling apart, and God isn’t answering your prayers, that God’s silence doesn’t mean He’s forgotten you, it just means He has something so much better in store. The miracle of Easter is our proof of this.
Your Sister in Christ,
Grace Thomas
Lauren Daigle-Trust in You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv-SXz_exKE