Seeking God In the Hard Times

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"I left here full, but the Lord has caused me to return empty-handed. Why do you call me 'Naomi', seeing that the Lord has opposed me, and the Sovereign One has caused me to suffer?" Ruth 1:21


I have always been cautious about voicing my complaints to God in prayer. When I don't like how things are going and I may be questioning His direction, I'm cautious there, too.

As I read thru this scripture passage and then the accompanying text in my study guide on Ruth, though, I began to re-think this position. It began as I read this statement shared from a book entitled Shattered Dreams which was written by Dr. Larry Crabb:

"Why was Naomi able to see God's hand when He began to move in her life? Many people can't. Why can she? I think it was because she entered her heart so deeply, feeling all its pain, that she eventually stumbled into the core of her heart, where she wanted God. People who find some way to deaden their pain never discover their desire for God in all its fullness... If we deny how badly we hurt, we remain unaware of our desire for God and aware only of lesser desires."


Could it be that when we don't pray to God about our questions and our hurt, that we deny those questions and hurt just a bit? After all, if we have a relationship with God but aren't talking to Him about what we REALLY feel, aren't we acting as if they don't exist? If we are putting God first in our lives, we should be turning it all over to Him... as we would our best friend. And, if we can tell our best friend, shouldn't we also be able to tell God?

But, if we're mad at God, do the same rules apply? So many times in our earthly relationships we don't tell our friends or family when we are mad at them. Is that really the right thing to do, though? If your spouse was angry with you would you want he/she to come to you or would you want them to complain to their friends? While it could be a difficult conversation, I know I would most definitely want my husband to come to me.

I think it's the same with God. He wants us to come to Him when we are angry with Him... not to complain to everyone EXCEPT Him. Whether we tell Him we are mad at him or not, HE KNOWS. He already knows our heart, our feelings, so why not just get it out there in the open and let Him help us deal with those feelings of anger, those questions, those doubts?

Why not talk about it with God and then let him wrap his arms around us and hold us and love us?



8 Thoughts Shared:

LisaShaw said...

Amen Melanie. There is no more that I need to say. Awesome sharing.

Have an incredible week dear sister. You house the heart of our Lord and you bless me every time I visit.

Meredith said...

I really like the comment you used from Dr.Larry Crabb's book, How sad it would be to never know our heart's desire for God!
Thanks for the blessing!

Rebecca said...

Very well written Ms. Melanie,
I believe that the Lord knows our heart already, and if we are honest and just come before him and lay our heart out, that is when He can come in and pick us up and carry us through our trials.
He said to confess our sin, Romans 14:23....for whatsoever [is] NOT OF FAITH is sin.
When we are not living in his faith, it is sin. We must be honest with him and confess our doubts, our questions, our true feelings about where we are in our walk with him, then He can fix our doubts and fears.
Even John the Baptist said, Is he the one or do I seek another? If we are honest, we all go through times of doubt and fears during our trials.
The more honest we are the closer we become to our Saviour.

Beth E. said...

I completely agree, Melanie! What a great post!

Marsha said...

Wonderful, Melanie! Amen! And Amen!

I've learned over the years, God doesn't mind if I ask Him why. It the heart attitude of the why that matters. Am I coming with palms up or with clinched fists?

Thanks for this.

Debra Kaye said...

Melanie,

I love it when God wraps His arms around me!! There is such comfort there. Beautiful post, my friend.

PS...You have a fan ... me! Stop by when you get a chance.

Grace said...

Such a powerful post, Melanie. It is so nice to be back here. :)

Tricia said...

A great post Melanie... I really am blessed by the insights you share from your time in the Word. When you really think about it, God already knows how we feel and when we are upset or angry with Him... we just need to tell Him and be real with Him so He can minister to us...

Blessings!