How
many times have we all said this? Too many. As I was driving down the road the
other morning, I couldn’t help but thinking about all of the times that I had
faced adversity. I was thinking about the problems I had faced and the way that
I had responded to them. Suddenly, it came to me. If I had just responded the
right way, things would have gone different. If I had just turned to God sooner!
I
knew how to pray at the time of the adversity. But, did I ask God show me how
to respond to the problem? Did I ask him to lead me around the mountain instead
of trying to trek over it?
I
am just so thankful that I now have a better understanding of who I am in
Christ. I know that as a child of God I have a right to take my problems to the
throne and expect them to be answered. I have the assurance that God hears me
and that he is working everything for my good. I have learned to accept that
adversities will come, but I don’t have to react negatively. I don’t have to
stress out. I should take my problems~my questions to God immediately instead
of trying to figure things out myself.
Yes,
it can be trying during the waiting time. But, it is so much better to wait for
God to give me the answer. It is better to allow him to guide me.
I
used to get frustrated when I talked to someone about my problems and all
he/she could tell me to do was to “pray”. I remember thinking, “Yeah, right. I
know how to pray. I tried that already.” I now realize that although I had prayed,
I did not give God time to answer. If an answer did not come immediately, I
thought that God was ignoring me or that he just didn’t care about my problem.
I can see now that he did care. I can see that he heard me when I first prayed.
Just like with Daniel, he sent the answer, but sometimes it is held up.
If
I knew then what I know now, I would not have spent so many sleepless nights. I
would not have worried so much. I would have responded better. I would have
guarded my tongue. I would have fasted more. I would have looked with spiritual
eyes and seen the army of the Lord. I would have remembered that the battle was
not mine but God’s.
Thank
God for lessons learned!
