Have you faced ‘impossible’ circumstances and asked: “How long, Lord?”
Have you ever felt like you're stuck in an endless battle, desiring relief from your circumstance, repeating the same prayers...only to be left disappointed while you waited patiently? Are you at a point where you're tempted to give up because you have stopped believing that God will change your circumstances, or that He's not answering your prayer requests?
Once upon a time, I hated my story. I despised my character and resented my circumstances. I was constantly comparing myself with people who seemed to have it all. When I turned 21, I decided to follow Jesus, hopeful that he would use His power to fix all my problems. My prayers were centred on instant gratification and immediate happiness – the markers of the "good" life supplied by a "good" God...
Instead, my good God uprooted my life to challenge my misplaced hopes. He zapped me with opportunities to wait in discomfort. He showed me that happiness is merely a circumstantial feeling that is always going to be threatened by the shifting sands of time. Instead of satisfying my desire for temporary highs, God taught me how to ‘be still’ and to know the God who is faithful to His promises.
If God has written seasons of waiting into your story, take heart because you’re on a road that has been well-travelled. I won’t pretend to know how you’re feeling. I definitely don’t intend to minimise your pain. I don’t know when or how God is going to answer your prayers. For some of us, our circumstances may never change and the pain of hoping and waiting will be life-long. But what I do know, is that God makes precious promises to those who hope in him:
1. If your hope is in God, He will give you strength to endure:He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. – Isaiah 40:30-31⠀
2. If your hope is in God, He promises to save and to deliver:
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love… – Psalm 33:16-18⠀
3. If your hope is in God, there will be a day when you will never have to hope again:
The people of the Old Testament lived by faith and had to trust in God's promises even in oppression, exile and trials of all kinds. They lived a life of delayed gratification since, "...none of them received what had been promised since God had planned something better..." (Hebrews 11:40).
On this side of history, we know what that ‘better’ plan is. Jesus came to save us from the final hopelessness of sin and death. This means that no matter our circumstances in this lifetime, we can trust that the best is yet to come because Jesus will return to make things right and to wipe away ever tear.
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." – Revelation 21:4“Faith will not make us immune to pain, but it can infuse us with hope. If you are someone who is feeling weary in your wait, perhaps today is the day to ask God to help you to hope again.
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Heidi writes about life, faith and culture at www.heiditai.com and is the co-host of the ‘The Greater Story’ podcast. She is married to Mikey and they pastor Providence Church in Sunnybank, Brisbane.