Have you ever thought about why God does things the way that He does them? Have you ever asked God if He really heard what you asked for or if He saw what just happened? Have you ever thought that God could have handled that particular situation a little differently, or dare I say, better? This past week a brief article was sent to me that I found pretty interesting. The author of it is unknown, nevertheless it was very thought provoking to me. Check it out:
I would have pulled Joseph out. Out of that pit. Out of that prison. Out of that pain. And I would have cheated nations out of the one God would use to deliver them from famine.
I would have pulled David out. Out of Saul’s spear-throwing presence. Out of the caves he hid away in. Out of the pain of rejection. And I would have cheated Israel out of a God-hearted king.
I would have pulled Esther out. Out of being snatched from her only family. Out of being placed in a position she never asked for. Out of the path of a vicious, power-hungry foe. And I would have cheated a people out of the woman God would use to save their very lives.
And I would have pulled Jesus off. Off of the cross. Off of the road that led to suffering and pain. Off of that path that would mean nakedness and beatings, nails and thorns. And I would have cheated the entire world out of a Savior. Out of salvation. Out of an eternity filled with no more suffering and no more pain.
And oh friend, I want to pull you out. I want to change your path. I want to stop your pain. But right now I know I would be wrong. I would be out of line. I would be cheating you and cheating the world out of so much good. Because God knows. He knows the good this pain will produce. He knows the beauty this hardship will grow. He’s watching over you and keeping you even in the midst of this. And He’s promising you that you can trust Him.
Even when it feels like more than you can bear.
So instead of trying to pull you out, I’m lifting you up. I’m kneeling before the Father and I’m asking Him to give you strength. To give you hope. I’m asking Him to protect you and to move you when the time is right. I’m asking Him to help you stay prayerful and discerning. I’m asking Him how I can best love you and be a help to you. And I’m believing He’s going to use your life in powerful and beautiful ways. Ways that will leave your heart grateful and humbly thankful for this road you’ve been on.
When we read about the stories of Joseph, David, Esther, and Jesus, I am not sure if those truths and tensions really hit home. We have already read those stories and we know how they come out in the end, so we can see the wrong in praying that way. But what about when we don’t know how the end works out? What about when it concerns someone close to home. We don’t want our kids to go through the difficult, heart-breaking stuff. We want to protect them from pain and suffering. There are people who read this who have had to watch their young healthy spouse die leaving them to care for their children and knowing that there was so much more for them to do as a family. We have people who read this who were once healthy and vibrant, and now, because of a particular circumstance, they cannot do what they once were able to do. We have people who read this who have a loved one who is battling a sickness and is tired of fighting and has lost the desire to live, and they ache for their loved one. We have people who read this who are all alone. Their spouse has died and their children are occupied with their own lives, and what was once a busy and lively life is quiet and lonely. We have people who read this whose spouse walked out on them in favor of someone else, the ultimate rejection, and all that they ever wanted was to be loved.
I know of a lady who was one of the most faithful and godly people I have ever met. Her name was Rose and she prayed for everyone. She lived her life with joy and love for her Savior. She opened her home to a group of high school kids every Friday morning before school for breakfast and prayer and I was one of those kids who benefited from that. She would pray for us before we left for school. She exemplified Jesus in her attitude and everything that she did, but there was this one thing that was a constant ache in her heart. Her husband was a good man, but he was not a believer. He supported Rose and everything that she did, but he just did not share her faith. I believe that they were married for 60+ years and there was not a day that went by that Rose did not pray for the salvation of her husband. There came a day when he was very sick and it was obvious that his time was short. Rose begged God to save her husband and about a week before he stepped into eternity, God did exactly that. Why did God wait so long to do that? I would have done it much earlier if I were God, but He did not do that. Why? Rose was God’s vessel to teach all who knew her what it meant to pray, really pray and trust God to do what was right in His time. She trusted God! Rose was overjoyed to know that she would spend eternity with her Savior and her husband, and it is in heaven that she will realize the impact that she had on so many lives because she was a lifter and not a puller. I have no doubt that Rose would have loved to have spent those 60+ years of marriage with her husband as a believer, but now she sees as God sees.
Last week I shared with you that God always has a reason. If we know that and embrace that, we will find ourselves doing less pulling and more lifting. As you work through the prayer list that follows, try to do more lifting and less pulling. I encourage you to pray knowing that our God loves you, He knows your needs, and He always does what is right at just the right time.
Stop pulling and start lifting!