After a poor performance review, Janis left her supervisor’s office unfazed by the comments her boss had just made. She was way past caring and half-way expected to receive such low marks. Her 10year marriage had ended, just about all her bills were past due, and deep down she never really felt that anyone had truly appreciated her. Sheila, her co-worker and friend, spotted Janis in the hallway after her review. Janis had a look on her face that Sheila had never seen. Their eyes met, but before Sheila could ask, Janis faintly mouthed, “I’m so tired.” Concerned and puzzled, Sheila asked “Of what?” Janis replied. “Of everything!”
How many of us have been there? We can relate, right? At one time or another in life, it felt like nothing was going right and everything was going wrong. Although it’s not much consolation when you’re going through it, the reality is that seasons like this occur for just about everyone. 1Peter 5:8-9(NLT) tells us, “8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.” God tells us to stay alert because the devil is busy. Heavenly Father wants us to stand firm and keep our faith strong in Him, then we’ll recognize the enemy’s tricks for what they are, and ultimately receive the victory in every situation.
Verses like 1Peter 5:8-9 are both direction and an encouragement from God. They assure us that many are dealing with problems and issues they feel are overwhelming. People all over are suffering, but their faith in God gives them the victory, and He wants us to be confident in this. We should also be aware that the enemy is trying to attack our minds in order to prevent God’s Word from sinking into our hearts. This is the devil’s whole game plan, and we must keep our minds and hearts anchored in God’s Word so we remain sharp and strong in Him come what may.
When you’re dealing with a season of adversity, when it’s one hurtful disappointment after the other, you might feel as though you just want it all to stop. You need a time-out—a breather—a chance to gather your bearings and figure out how to handle everything. But it just feels like you can’t catch a break. Janis had been feeling that way even before her marriage fell apart. She had suspected her husband was unhappy for a while, but she had been unhappy herself and just didn’t believe her husband loved her the way she wanted to be loved.
Internally, Janis couldn’t make sense of what was happening. Her stomach was always in knots, and her heart was broken. She felt as if she had reached the bottom, and the bottom had opened up, pulling her and everything in her life through the cracks. When we feel like this, as though we’re at our lowest point, we have a very important choice to make. We can either give up or we can mount up with faith in God and go higher in Christ. It’s a choice that only we can make.
When we reach the depth of disappointment and despair, many of us recognize that all we have is our faith in God. It’s all any of us have ever had. When things fall apart, we should open our eyes to the reality that He’s been the One holding everything together all along. Romans 8:28(NLT) affirms by telling us, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
We must remember that God cannot fail and His love for us doesn’t fail. When we’re in the depth of misery, He is there with us. The psalmist reminds us in Psalm 23 that the Lord is our Shepherd, and with Him we have all we need. Psalm 23:3 tells us that God will renew our strength, restore our souls, and guide us along the right paths. Our responsibility is to partner with Him. It’s to go wherever He leads. To do this, you and I must be in a place of listening to God, and we must choose to turn our backs on doubting Him and only think the positives of His Word.
To listen to God, we must weed out all the other voices and pay close attention to Him. We have to show up! What does it look like when we show up for our family and friends? We’re in their faces, communicating and spending time with them. God requires this same attention; except He is the One that will do the talking. So, we will need to get into His Word, because God speaks to us through His Word. Romans 10:17(NLT) tells us, “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” We need to feast on God’s Word so that we feed our souls the nourishment they desperately need.
Other times, we just need to sit in silence and wait for God. Lamentations 3:26(NLT) says, “So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.” Isaiah 40:31(NKJV) tells us, “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” We may feel as though the Lord isn’t hearing us, but that is never the case. However, we must never neglect our responsibility and privilege to listen for God’s voice.
Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 11:28-30 to bring our burdens to him and he will give us the rest we need. But he also tells us to learn about him, to get to know him better, because the whole goal of life is to become like him. Our commitment to become like our Master Jesus will usher in more of his power into our lives, and more than anything, this is what we all desperately need. Through all the noise of our problems, issues, and adversity, God is calling us closer to Him. When we take the time to center our minds and hearts on God alone and wait on Him, we will hear and receive exactly what we need. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 601
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
“Wait Quietly for God” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!