Wrestling

In my life are many people I love who either do not believe in God or Jesus or are struggling with their faith in Jesus. Many of their questions and doubts have to do with pain they’ve experienced in their lives. How could a good God let bad things happen? Where was God? Why didn’t he answer their prayers? If I’m being honest, the people I get asked these questions from most often are my children. I’ll tell you the hardest part about answering their questions. It’s that my answers won’t satisfy the questions they’re asking in their hearts. They are wrestling with God. 

Wrestling with God is something I strongly encourage. When I hear my children questioning their faith, who God is, struggling with either how God hasn’t answered their prayer or allowed something bad to happen, I encourage them to keep processing it with the Lord. To pray and dig into the bible and see what God’s written word says. To spend time with Jesus and ask the hard questions. I let them know God is not afraid of our questions. He is not caught off guard. He knows what’s in our hearts. (Psalm 139:1-4) He is not offended. He is a loving Father who loves your honesty, who wants to comfort your broken heart, who wants to heal your pain, who wants to speak truth and love and hope over you.

What I discourage, is pushing those wrestling thoughts to the back of our minds for another day. If we don’t wrestle it out with God, ask the questions, seek Him in it, we won’t get the answers our hearts are seeking. We end up keeping the pain, the hurt, the frustration, the anger and pushing off what God is offering – his peace, his healing, his comfort, his restoration. Friends, I’ll be honest. When I’m hurting, when I don’t understand, when I go to God with the pain my family or I am experiencing, rarely is God giving me an explanation of why. And honestly, knowing why isn’t all that helpful. More than why, I need to know what. What do I do? How do I get through? I need direction. I need guidance. And most of all, I need his comfort and love. I need the King of kings. I need the Creator. I need my Heavenly Father, who knows how every story ends. Whose ways are very different than my own and always better. I need God to speak to my heart and let me know it’s going to be ok.

The wrestling, if we press in, it leads to understanding. Understanding who God is. That he is for you. That he loves you. It often leads to surrender and exchange. Surrendering pain. Surrendering anger. Surrendering control. He exchanges it for healing, freedom, hope and peace that exceeds circumstance. (Philippians 4:6) I encourage you, whatever you’re wrestling with, questioning His presence in, seeking answers for why it’s happening or has happened and what to do, press in. Set aside time in your day to spend with him. Just as you would hold time in your calendar for a friend or an appointment, hold that time for Jesus. Find a quiet space. A practical step you can take before this time, look up bible verses that have to do with where your heart is at. If you aren’t certain where to start, I encourage you to go to a site called BibleProject that can be found here. They have recommended readings by topics and allow you to see what God’s word says about issues you may be wrestling with.

From there, spend time with Jesus. You can talk to him as you’d talk to a friend. Share what you’re feeling. If you’re asking him questions, allow space and time for him to respond. Oftentimes the first response you hear (before your mind takes over) is the voice of God speaking to you. 

I am praying for you. If we can be praying for you specifically, if you’d like us to pray over the are you’re wrestling with God over, please know we’d be honored to do so. Simply email blog@calvarylg.com.

Blessing you with comfort, healing, hope and peace.