Faith is a funny thing. Hebrews 11:1 defines it as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." The question we have to answer is are we putting our faith in faith, or in God? When we pray, do we trust Him to act? More importantly, do we trust Him if he doesn't?
"...faith in God is not simply faith in what God can do. But it's the belief that God is God whether he delivers us or not. He has the final say. And it's our decision to choose to follow Him through it all." Albert Lee
Do I trust Him if He never removes the shadow of depression? Do I trust Him with my relationships? Do I trust Him if His answer is slow in coming? There are so many things I pray for on a daily basis; so many people I bring to Him. I know He can act and I trust Him to, but in His time and in His way. Our prayers ought always be followed with "LORD, help us to accept your perfect will and not cling so tightly to our own." Not always easy to pray when it means letting go of what we think is best.
I can't even begin to understand the mind of Christ. I don't know why some people He heals and some He doesn't. Why children are allowed to hurt and good people suffer. I don't know why He allows things to happen that seem so senseless. His ways are higher than mine. If I have faith purely in my faith, then these things would be incredibly discouraging. But faith in God and His goodness means trusting and choosing to follow Him through it all.
Hey, Angela,
ReplyDeleteBeen reading through these posts today, remembering your struggle with Fred. And now I don't remember if I told you last March when I was 'diagonsed' with generalized anxiety and depression. Though there were times when I would have uncontrolable crying spells and I wondered, Is THIS depression? I really didn't think it was an issue for me. Finally I had enough promptings from friends and my husband and I went to a psych. She listened to me describe my thoughts and behaviors and confidently gave her diagnosis.
Yes, I was embarasssed at first. But I found great support. Been taking meds and learning how to handle me thoughts better. Wow! It's like a whole new world. And I am so thankful to God!!!
And I'm thankful for having you as a my friend. :o)