Think a Minute:
When is the last time you felt God was not listening to you…that you were all alone in your situation? Why does it seem that He so often leaves us there? When that happens to me, I sometimes shrivel up, feel isolated from Him, not sensing His presence and immobilized by my circumstances. Where is God when we need Him? May I give you a word of encouragement today?
God is always there when we need Him! The problem, however, is that we are not always there when we need Him. When we are deep in the middle of an eruptive chapter of our life, we are too busy for Him. My friends, be sure of this: Whenever a chapter of your life drives you to distraction from your personal relationship with Jesus, you more than likely will experience adversity of some kind. His purpose is to stop us cold. He abruptly places an obstacle in our path. He throws our private life into disaray. In essence, God causes us to thirst for Him. He will send you to the thirsty desert because His highest desire is that we should long for a personal relationship with Him, as a perishing prospector pines for a drink of water. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1).
Remember my friends, God will never let you go, even if it means you stay stranded in the desert. When it seems as though He has forgotten you, that you will be stuck forever there, in the end you look for Him. You ask, “When can I go and meet with God?” That is the purpose of the desert.
Thirst for God and you will be filled. God knows that whatever it is you are going through is meant to bring you back to surrender. Here is a prayer for you to pray when you are going through tough times:
Dear God: I am embroiled in this chapter of my life. I confess it has become a real pot-boiler. Things are coming apart. I have not been thinking much about my personal relationship with You. I have been rebellious, and You have allowed me to wander into the desert. Let my soul thirst for You, the living God. I surrender these next weeks and months (or however long it takes) to re-establish our personal relationship. Amen and Amen!
Pastor Rob Pesola