Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy. (Psalm 126:5 NIV)
Isn't answered prayer awesome! We've experienced to one extent or another ourselves and we've all certainly heard some fantastic stories... stories of being on the brink of disaster and experiencing the hand of God lifting us (or someone else) up out of the depths. Praise God! God is good! God is listening! God answers prayer!
But we've all been on the other side of it too... when God says "no." When we want the job so badly we can taste it, and despite our best efforts and our ceaseless prayer, we don't get it. When a whole community is on its knees for the healing of one person, and it doesn't happen. When our child is making the worst choices possible and we beg God to intervene, but he doesn't.
It has to be the most difficult faith issue to deal with. Why does God say "yes" to one and "no" to another? Why does prayer seem to move a mountain in one person's life, but doesn't budge a small hill in another's? Is it a question of the strength of faith? Is it worthiness in God's eyes? Is it believing the exact right set of theological theories? What is it? Because if it will give me a "yes" to all my prayers, I'm willing to change whatever I need to change!
Sometimes... no... most times... the miracles come in the struggle. I have experienced enough hardship in my lifetime and seen way too much hardship in the lives of brothers and sisters in faith to know that God does his best work in the midst of our biggest storms. I've seen faith at its deepest. I've seen spiritual growth at its steepest. I've experienced grace in the most unlikely and unexplainable ways.
I'm at a place in my life where there are a lot of changes going on. My younger son just graduated from college. My second grandchild is due any day. My older son is planning his wedding. Richard is on the brink of retiring from the military. My parents have both died. But it just seems like yesterday that my future was still a blank slate. I know how fast this earthly life goes by. God knows it much more surely than I. He knows that the growth born of struggle is infinitely more valuable than a flashy miracle. The things we learn through our pain and sweat go into eternity with us. What use would our few short years on earth be if God just waved his hand and made all the struggles go away?
In the midst of the struggle, these kind of words are of little comfort. We WANT that wave of God's miracle-giving hand. We don't WANT to grow in faith. We don't CARE about eternity at that point... we care only about the here and now and the hurt we or those we love are going through. But God promises in so many different words in so many different scriptures throughout the Old and the New Testaments... those who sow with tears WILL reap with songs of joy. Depend on it.
Father,
Help us to keep your promises close to our hearts when we are in the midst of our most difficult and scariest struggles. Help us to depend on you and depend on your word. We WILL reap with songs of joy in this life or the next. Amen.
Joys: a call from Kevin as I was writing this devotion... he was offered a job with UTC Fire & Security right here in Lincolnton!; fun evening with Cecelia yesterday; a sunshiny day in the making
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