As believers, most of us go through seasons of testing in our walk with Christ. The Bible tells us we will have trials and tribulations in this lifetime. (Yep, I can attest first-hand to that.) The good news is that in these trials we can rest in the knowledge that our Lord is always with us and watching over us.
Even though I know this to be true, the last few months of trials have been particularly difficult and finds me asking, are you still there God? You haven’t moved have you?
In the onslaught of problems with kids and their assorted car breakdowns, finances, relationships, work issues and health issues to name a few, I feel as though I’m about to buckle under the barrage of attacks.
Through it all, I’ve questioned whether God is walking beside me or merely watching from a distance. Some days I feel His presence more than others and I hate that in my human fleshly weakness I feel fear and doubt His presence in my life.
For five years I lived in the shadow of the highest peak in North America – Mt. McKinley or Denali as it’s also known. Even though Denali is over 200 miles from Anchorage where I lived, occasionally we’d take a drive outside the city and get a glimpse of the majesty of the 20,000 plus foot peak.
The four days I spent camping on the tundra in the park practically at the foot of the mountain, Denali was shrouded in low hanging clouds the entire time. It was rather disappointing to be that close to the highest peak on the continent and still not see it. It was only as we drove farther from the mountain that we were able to get a really good look at it.
In the midst of my latest trials I can’t shake this feeling that God is a lot like that mountain. Even though I KNOW He’s there shrouded in mystery, I can’t seem to get a good look at Him. I’m praying diligently for specific answers to life’s problems, but I can’t clearly see God at work.
The harder I look for answers, the more clouded things become. Perhaps this is God’s way of telling me that I can’t fix things on my own and I need to step back and let Him take care of things. When I finally do relinquish my control, I see God is there working on my behalf.
God rarely answers our prayers the way we would like. Through life’s trials I am learning to look to Him and trust that even though I can’t always see Him clearly, that doesn’t mean He isn’t there. More importantly what I perceive as mountainous problems, in God’s hands are merely mole hills. I’ve only to look up to see where my help comes from.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)
Blessings in Christ,
Kathy
www.kathleenkurlin.com
Thank you for that analogy. I am currently struggling in an area where I think because my expectations are not being met that God isn’t there. Thanks for the reminder to take a step back.
Thanks Kathy! Don’t you wish sometimes God would just send an email or text when we need answers? This discernment thing is pretty tricky? I constantly struggle with “is that You God,” or “is that me?” Thanks for reading!
Amen! This is so true, Sister. God is always there for us. His word says that HE is always at work in us, even when we cannot see it in our humanness. Great post!