Most people, if honest, have struggled with unwanted, intrusive thoughts. Things that float across our mind that are revolting or in opposition to what we would ever intentionally choose to think about. Some are as fleeting as suspended dust made suddenly visible by the afternoon rays of sun in a window. Others become “sticky” and continue to play over and over in our minds.
When circumstances in our lives are difficult and things become dark, it becomes even more challenging to shake these thoughts. When God does not bail us out of the dark places, our mind begins to question His goodness and character. We are plagued by questions about God like:
“Why do you feel so far away?”
“Don’t you love me?”
“Why are you allowing me to hurt so badly??”
Before we realize it, we have burrowed into a dark pit filled with our pain and frustrations. The devil sees his opportunity and calls to mind the ways that we have faithfully served God and how He has clearly abandoned us. He points out the human logic of “fair-ness” that has us digging down deeper into the pit of our despair.
Despair.
This is a word used to describe a place where you feel an intense failure on God’s part to correct your circumstances. Most Christians and non-Christians have both experienced this and cried out for God to rescue them. When relief does not come or the circumstances do not resolve, what do we, as Christians, do with that space?
I’ve always been able to “mind over matter” life. Yes, feelings exist, but when my feelings are inconvenient, my solution is to stick them in a box and power through the situation while simultaneously setting the box on fire. As of late, I’ve been forced to face a lot of intense feelings. I’m unable to find enough boxes to stick them in. I find my matches are soggy with my tears and I am forced to face these unwanted emotions. As I try to take them to God, I am plagued by many unwanted and intrusive thoughts and questions about Him. The Psalmist expressed something similar in Psalm 77:
“In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.”
The Psalmist complains and is plagued with questions:
“Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?”
Psalms 77:2-9
As I repeatedly asked God to help and He didn’t seem to be listening, the thought of God’s existence in the midst of all of the pain and suffering became more troubling. But as we trudge through the darkness, it is important to first remember that God knows our thoughts. He’s already seen our questions.
Taking our problems to God is not going to shock or surprise Him!
Furthermore, God can handle our hard questions and even doubts. The important part is acting in faith by BRINGING THEM TO HIM. He CAN handle them. One more time because I need repetition to remember things—GOD CAN HANDLE OUR HARD QUESTIONS. When we fail to bring them to God, we fail to trust Him; instead we choose to resign ourselves to the “fact” that God does not care. This, however, is NOT a FACT. Rather, the devil uses this thought to cripple us and further separate us from God.
We need to remind ourselves of the truth about God. The Psalmist says “You are the God who does wonders”. He then spends the next ten verses (Psalm 77:10-20) remembering multiple great things that God has done to provide for His people. He remembers the miraculous redemptive act of God–the parting of the Red Sea—to anchor his soul to God’s goodness. Reminding yourself of the truth about God’s character grounds you when your world feels like it is crumbling. Reminding yourself of the things He has done in your life personally will further remind you of His faithfulness. Our “Exodus event” is Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
The cross is a safe place for us to take our pain and be reminded of the immensity of God’s love for us.
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
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5 Responses
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Thank you! You have a way of knowing my heart sometimes!
Thank you Grace. The darkness of the world certainly overwhelms but God continues to remind me of his faithfulness to me and my family. I know that I need to turn to Him with all of these thoughts/questions and let Him take the worries and burdens.
God bless your ministry.
Sharon
Amen! And may He bless yours as well! We serve a BIG God who is able to handle each of our struggles!
What I just read was no doubt of us humans yes I always ask myself where are u God why do u seem so far it’s sad but true I know He never leaves me He has always been there for me however there are those times that I feel hopeless specially when I see all the hurt around us
Yes! Those feelings are very real and recognizing them for what they are then taking them to God and reminding ourselves of the truths about Him can help us as we trudge through them!