ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY- God, Do You Really Care?
Hey there, it’s Charlotte. First, please forgive the length of this post. Due to my own current journey and the struggles of those around me, I wanted to take time to address the heart of some real issues that I believe we are having today. Â
Let me ask, does this pattern sound familiar (I am talking to Bible-believing Christians who have a relationship with Jesus)? You believe that the Lord is moving you in a specific direction (ministry, direction, waiting, etc.). As you continue to move in that direction you begin to travel through a time of testing or difficulty. You realize as a Christian that this is to be expected. However, as you pray and do the things you know to do, situations get worse and it seems as though the same God who gave you the initial direction is quiet and not opening doors. Depending on your journey with the Lord you continue to worship and pray yet inside as situations become dire and desperate, you grow faint and tired and question what you did wrong. You doubt if you heard God’s direction and beat yourself up for not acting earlier instead of waiting on God. You become depressed and angry and try to control situations that are out of your control and find nice words to cover your hidden anger at God for not coming through. Like Job, you don’t understand why God has disappointed when all you wanted to do was please Him. Sound familiar? I am so with you!
For the sake of time, I won’t go on my long journey. However, I will say that the Lord always seems to want me to walk through the non-fiction books He desires me to write for others. When I sensed Him wanting me to write a book on Job asking the two questions he asked in the book of Job that brought about his pain and healing that apply to us, I told the Lord I would write it. Good Lord, what drugs was I taking? Now, I find myself on a three-month-long journey of incredible loss and more. However, it has also been a miraculous and deeper time of learning to trust Him and being still of knowing He is God. I am forever being changed.
Although one of the chapters deals in depth with the reality of feeling like God doesn’t care, I want to offer some encouragement to you for now because we all need it. I know I do. To be real, I had a moment last night realizing my car won’t start and roadside service won’t accept my warranty although I’m covered and I have no way to get around. Life is real.
So, why do we often feel like God does not care when we are going through struggles and sufferings and do not get the responses that we desire? The short answer is that it is difficult to feel cared for when we believe we cannot trust someone. And it is difficult to trust someone when we believe they don’t have our backs. Yes, I know we are talking about God who is perfect and cannot fail. However, as humans, we project our feelings of what we believe God should be onto God not who He truly is. When God does not do what WE believe He should do then to us, He failed and then Satan fills our heads with the lie that we cannot trust God and He doesn’t care about us. Then we shut down our hearts to Him and find false gods like drugs, food, shopping, people, entertainment, celebrities, media, etc.
Make sense? Hang in there. You are not crazy. We will explore more and provide help soon with the release of my next book, “WHY ME” in the Spring of 2022.
Take care,
Charlotte
Dream Madly, Pursue Wildly, Trust Completely tm
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