Uwakmfon UdehI’m tired of trusting the Lord and waiting on Him Mfon, doesn’t the Bible even say “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” or I trusted the Lord for something and He let me down, I feel like all hope is lost.
If at any point in your life Dear Friend you have felt the way I just described above or if maybe at this moment, these words depict the state of your heart, I really want to speak to you today but first, let me tell you a story.
An Encounter I Will Never Forget
The earliest recollection of having great faith for a miracle and feeling so defeated when it didn’t happen occurred in my mid teens. Growing up, I had a close friend whose beloved Uncle fell ill suddenly and was in a critical condition for some time, even as naive as I was back then about spiritual things, it was still clear to all and sundry that I loved the Lord and so my friend asked me to pray for His uncle.
My entire family prayed most mornings for the man and we all kept believing strongly. Whenever i would speak with my friend, I spoke so confidently that His uncle would be well and that He didn’t need to worry. I made bold declarations like “He won’t die, God will not let it happen that way”. I guess you can already tell what happened…
He died.
That faithful afternoon, I received that chilling call from my friend is etched in my memory forever. Before I even got the chance to say hello, I heard my friend weeping and saying repeatedly “Uwakeey but you told me he would not die, you said he would wake up, you said I should not worry…”
Crushed was an understatement for how we all felt, for how I felt. Why did God disappoint us so?
Hard truths…
Since this incident, I would love to tell you that there have not been other times where I have “felt” let down by God but I have learnt a great deal along the way(still learning) and would like to share with you today.
- I believe that one thing believers must always hold dear is that our circumstances do not describe or dictate if God loves us or not. Often in the midst of pain and suffering, there is a tendency for us to begin to question His love and devotion to us. The scriptures remind us that nothing can seperate us from His love(Romans8:38-39) and most importantly, the greatest display of Gods love to us was His death on the cross for our sins(John15:13)…That can never be trumped no matter what we may face in this world.
- Learning to trust God’s all encompassing wisdom(omniscience) in tough times is another great lesson I’m picking up along the way. Can we trust God’s heart and the fact that His thoughts of us are good and His intentions pure when we don’t understand His ways?(Eph.6:13-14). I learnt more on this from an amazing book titled Abba written by Dr. Abasiomokop G. Etuk. She says:
“God’s wisdom is obtained from His foresight, we are myopic as humans, God sees the end from the beginning and so we must trust that whatever trials, pain we may face do not take Him unaware, that He is truly in control and will bring everything to a good end. We must believe this and surrender to the knowledge that the Father’s wisdom is supreme and not allow our identity in Him be shaken“
3. No matter the outcome of a situation, you are never the same Dear Friend. Your faith has been stretched(imagine how a muscle only grows through resistance in the gym) and as far as you stood and partnered with Gods’s Word as you thought on any matter, the ultimate goal is being served(Conformity to the Image of Christ), That in itself is an answered prayer. You’ll find that more and more you’ll be able to believe God for the impossible even when all looks bleak because at the end of the day we lose nothing. Glory be to God!!(John16:33)
He Still Answers Prayers….
I think of people like David and Joseph in the Bible, promised so much, yet at first they saw the complete opposite at different points. What if they stopped believing? or stopped trusting in the name of the Lord?
Think of how long men waited for the promised Saviour, through ups and downs, highs and lows, freedom and bonds. But God knew the best time and circumstance for Jesus’ appearance and that is what we are enjoying today. His will equates what’s best for us but are we willing to submit to it even when it is hard?(Rom.8:27-28, Heb.10:35-36).
I do not write these words with the intention of trivializing anyone’s pain and please forgive me if it seems so. I’ve had my fair share and have had the privilege of walking with some of the people in my life through different valleys, It hurts, I know but I want to encourage you today Dear Friend to lift up your eyes and keep them fastened on the lover of your soul for He knows what He is doing.
These words I read from an Instagram post a long time ago blessed me tremendously: The most courageous thing you can do today is to hope again. Oh dear Friend fight and contend for your hope no matter how much it scares you to, for it is worse to live a hopeless life than to feel the pain of disappointment.
Till I write to you again, Keep Hope Alive!
