4 Things To Think About When it Feels Like God Hasn’t Pulled Through
We've just stepped into the last quarter of the year and some of us can't help but feel disquieted and distressed. Perhaps you’re believing God for a breakthrough, a child, or a job. You feel like you’ve already done everything you could to knock at heaven's door and whatever that may be, it hangs around like a cloud over your head wherever you go. You say your prayers, only to be concluded with a deep sigh.
At this point you wonder: is God ever going to show Himself at all?
If it feels as if God hasn't pulled through yet, here’s a rundown of things to remind yourself that God is in control and that He cares for you!
“Maybe He hasn’t pulled through yet — but let’s remind ourselves of all the times He did.”
1. Take a good look at the Cross
"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" - Romans 8:32
This is the ultimate demonstration of His grace. If God did not withhold his Son, will He withhold any good thing from us? He’s a Father who knows how and when to give good gifts to His children. Maybe He hasn’t pulled through yet — but let’s remind ourselves of all the times He did.
2. Fix your eyes on God’s grace
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. — 2 Corinthians 12:9
God’s grace was once described as “His provision for our every need every time we need it”. What is your need today? Are you feeling helpless? Are you feeling weak? Learn to surrender instead of fighting your way to overcome the battle by yourself. Instead of tapping into your own might, tap into God’s power which is His grace already made sufficient for you. Pursue God’s sufficient and strengthening grace.
3. Don’t just read — meditate!
“but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” — Psalms 1:2-3
Bible reading is one thing, meditating on His Word is another. When reading God’s Word, we get informed; when meditating on His Word, we become transformed. This is because we learn to go beyond taking in His truth and make it a personal application in our lives. More than that, we equip ourselves with a sure defense against the lies and the attacks of the enemy. Don’t just read; meditate!
4. Pray without ceasing
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:6-7
When we pray to God, we make ourselves vulnerable before Him. Are you worried? Lift it up to Him. Do you have a request to make? Ask your Heavenly Father. Are you grateful? Praise and thank Him. Think about it, there’s really nothing that we say or haven’t said that He does not know of. You are His child, so whether you’re feeling okay or not — it’s okay. You can come as you are.
At the end of the day, what we choose to dwell on determines what our outlook in life will be. Are we dwelling a bit too much on the problem that lies before us, or are we like the Psalmist who finds peace and security by choosing to dwell on his God instead (Psalm 16:8-9)?
Perhaps, setting our eyes on God doesn’t come as a natural reflex in times of testing yet. But however our finances, health, performance or dreams may turn out — when we choose to dwell and trust in Him, we become like a child in the arms of an Unchanging, Almighty, and Loving Father — secure in the knowledge that He is always for us and never against us because He loves us.