Read Lamentations 3:1-26.
Our hopeless and helpless state can really be overwhelming and annoying, leaving bad and sour memories. Most times if not all the time can drive one to a state of near or total faithlessness. For it inputs the feeling that God is really far from us, just as a young lady one of my parishioners told me yesterday “It’s like God is just asleep to my situation.” And gradually the feeling of trusting this so good a God is paralysed and dies out. Then the feelings of I should have done it the other way round rather than trusting starts creeping in.
Just yesterday, this my helplessness parishioner asked, ‘why did God allow my life to be filled with loads of suffering?’ “Fr. you see, I’ve been having serious health challenges in my life right from age 7. I have been having back and waist pain for the past 17yrs; ulcer for 15yrs; tooth pain for about 27yrs; muscular and knee pain for some years now; done two major operation of which fibroid; sometimes my blood level drops. I can’t stay where there is dust or smoke. Am in and out of hospitals, and my salary is on medication. I even pay my tithe faithfully because I was told that when one does the devourer will be far from you. The sad one now is that for 15yrs now I have been praying for a life partner and now am 41yrs old and still not married, no child with the fear of menopause not too distant away.”
“Fr. why only me? When I look at friends even my cousins who lived wayward lives happily married with their families I begin to question my value system. Some even had multiple abortions. Here I am living the good girl, living out the Christian values, not wanting to sleep around to be considered good enough for marriage. What can I have to show for it? Sometimes I just feel why did I not just let loose for once those times I was in school, get a child and afterwards by now would have reconciled with the church and my God.”
Our hopeless and helpless state can really be overwhelming and annoying, leaving bad and sour memories. Most times if not all the time can drive one to a state of near or total faithlessness. For it inputs the feeling that God is really far from us, just as a young lady one of my parishioners told me yesterday “It’s like God is just asleep to my situation.” And gradually the feeling of trusting this so good a God is paralysed and dies out. Then the feelings of I should have done it the other way round rather than trusting starts creeping in.
Just yesterday, this my helplessness parishioner asked, ‘why did God allow my life to be filled with loads of suffering?’ “Fr. you see, I’ve been having serious health challenges in my life right from age 7. I have been having back and waist pain for the past 17yrs; ulcer for 15yrs; tooth pain for about 27yrs; muscular and knee pain for some years now; done two major operation of which fibroid; sometimes my blood level drops. I can’t stay where there is dust or smoke. Am in and out of hospitals, and my salary is on medication. I even pay my tithe faithfully because I was told that when one does the devourer will be far from you. The sad one now is that for 15yrs now I have been praying for a life partner and now am 41yrs old and still not married, no child with the fear of menopause not too distant away.”
“Fr. why only me? When I look at friends even my cousins who lived wayward lives happily married with their families I begin to question my value system. Some even had multiple abortions. Here I am living the good girl, living out the Christian values, not wanting to sleep around to be considered good enough for marriage. What can I have to show for it? Sometimes I just feel why did I not just let loose for once those times I was in school, get a child and afterwards by now would have reconciled with the church and my God.”
”Fr. I need answers from God fast and prayers from you as well because honestly I don’t faith anymore in God. I pray just for praying sake but faith far be from it. Fr. Please help me and pray for me because I need my faith back.”. Honestly, I was lost and felt really felt helpless but had to take solace in the words of Lam. 3:1-26, which I asked her to.
Her state (and maybe yours for I feel that you might be in a similar or even worst scenario) remained me of Sarah in Gen. 18:12 as she expressed her near if not total lack of faith in the promises of God; what about Zachariah in Lk.1:18; of Simeon (v.26) who was told he will never see death until he sets his eyes on the Messiah of the Lord with no inclination on the names, status or disposition of the would be parents (I wonder how frustrating this task might be); what about the Holy man Job?. What about Jesus on the cross (Ps. 22.1) but in all these he asked the Father to glorify his name (Jn. 12:28).
Dear friend no matter the difficult helpless and hopeless situation you find yourself, still trust God as Abraham and Job did. Remember that tough times don’t last but tough people do. Remember too his consoling words in Is. 43:1-2 and Heb. 4:14-16. So I will say take it to Jesus now and keep trusting no matter what.
Sing once again “I need thee every hour” and “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer…”. Pray with Deut. 9 and Ps. 22, 34, 121.
SHEPHERD ME O LORD BEYOND MY STRENGTH