Have you ever had a slew of rough days? Many challenging events are crowded into a short period of time. It feels like every time you think you are making progress, wham! The bottom drops out again.
It can lead down the road of, ‘I wonder what tragedy tomorrow might bring’.
A few years ago, I had a six-week period of terrible times. I have three daughters, and within that time frame, each had her own life-threatening crisis. From a medical diagnosis, to a mental health crisis, to a college student sheltering in place during a California wildfire. (Yes, Lord, You have my attention!)
I learned that Lamentations 3:22-23 is absolutely true! “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not ever forsaken, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
I was praying so often, it made sense to not say “Amen.” I needed to rely on His mercy, on His love and on His grace. I needed to function on little sleep, stay patient and calculate a lot of math for ever-changing medication doses. I needed to rely on God to help me through moment by moment, and guide me through what needed done.
I had to trust God like never before. I had to trust He would take the little I could do for each of my children, and multiply it to save them.
Multiply my medical interventions.
Multiply my words of encouragement.
Multiply my prayers and faith in Him.
I had to trust that He had each of my girls in the palm of His hand.
He did.
He also carried me through that excruciating time. Verse 24 says, “I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’”
The promise in verse 25 absolutely rang true, “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”
I wish I could say that He instantly healed each daughter. He didn’t.
One still has a life-long illness. Now she has learned to manage it.
One suffered years with mental health, before she made significant progress and is now working toward degrees so she can help others.
The college student survived the fire. She works today in ministry on that campus.
No, God did not instantly zap everything into perfection as I would have authored.
But He did do something miraculous. He slowly built my faith and theirs over time. We learned to turn to Him during the challenges and we learned we could trust Him with the outcome.
Rarely is that type of faith built on the heels of blue skies and rainbows. Instead, we need to fight our way through the storms. Fight for our faith. Fight against the enemy who would love nothing more than to give us more than we think we can handle- in reality it is more than we can handle- alone. But when we turn to God and ask for help, now that’s when things get interesting.
If you are in that type of struggle, where you wonder, no worry, about what could possibly be coming down the pike tomorrow, my heart goes out to you.
Please let me know. I and my team of prayer warriors will pray for you. It’s not a fun place to be. And you don’t need to be stuck there alone.
I pray you take comfort in the promise of Lamentations 22:25, that the Lord will be good to you. He will fulfill His promise, in His time.
Waiting is often the hardest part. He will help you in the wait, if you ask. Let’s ask Him for just that.
Prayer: Lord, You see me. When I’m stuck in an awful, challenging spot. When wondering turns into worrying and I’m scared what tomorrow may bring. But I know You are in control. Help me to fully trust You, fully surrender to You and abide with me in the wait. Give me faith, patience and hope as I wait for something to change. Thank You Lord, in Jesus’s name, Amen.