God Has Not Forgotten You
Have you ever gone through a such a difficult time in your life that you felt forgotten by God? Maybe during such a time you ask Where are you Lord? or Why Me? You may wonder why God does not deliver you. It’s human nature to desire relief from a trial. It could be an illness, job loss, financial difficulty, loss of a loved one, relationship conflict, divorce or a combination of things. Maybe you are in a job that you just want out of because you desire to do something else with your life. Our prayer for relief might even reflect the outcome for the situation we think is best for us. Being a problem solver by nature I have this tendency to give possible solutions.
There have been many times in life when I did not feel delivered from a situation as as I desired and prayed. Not being healed from migraines and other medical issues in my family, at times living on a lower finanical support level, relationship conflict among family members, my step father dying from tylenol poisoning in his forties, losing so much financial support for our church plant in a 10 day period that we had to give up the church, etc. Maybe you have experienced many more major issues than this. My friend Carol Kent once said that you are either in a crisis, just out of a crisis or close to entering a new crisis. Reminds me of James 1 that tells us to be prepared because we will face many trials in this life.
What I have learned is that we cannot escape trials. Sometimes it may feel like such a darkness that you cannot sense God’s presence, power or annointing in your life. Your experience is not unique. God’s choicest saints have at times had days, weeks, months and even years of such darkness. But God’s answer always comes again. God has not forgotten you! Don’t try to get off the train while you are going through the tunnel. If you jump off the train you must eventually get back on. And if you jump off you will have more scars than if you had stayed on the train. You are on route to God’s great victory. Hold on, and God’s power will be revealed to you.
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well developed, not deficient in any way. James 1:2-4