The Word Is always at work
Desperate emotions and feelings of
helplessness ran through me as I sat on the edge of my bed. The phone in one
hand and my Bible beside me, I listened to the frustrated cry of my dear friend,
describing yet another miserable situation she found herself in. I could hear
the hopelessness in her voice as she sobbed and told me her story, one more
time. It was the same story being repeated time and time again. Marriage
complications, money problems, sick children and unhappiness plagued her daily,
it seemed her life was on a constant, bitter loop and someone kept pushing the
replay button.
Scripture after scripture ran through my head
but I still had no idea what to say. I mentally pleaded with God, asking for
anything, just a little something new to say to help her feel hopeful again.
All I could hear were the same old scriptures we had talked about over and over
again.
I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn’t
do it. My advice sounded redundant, dry and futile, I couldn’t give her the
hope she needed. To be honest, I felt just as bleak as her and for one fleeting
moment, I wondered if God had closed his ears to her suffering. I didn’t
understand why her life was so miserable. All I could say was, I was sorry and
I didn’t understand it myself. I felt like a failure. Awkward silence hung in
the air and we made light chitchat for another few minutes before saying our
goodbyes.
After hanging up the phone I sat tearfully
on my bed feeling empty as I let the past ten years of our friendship run
through my mind. Years of laughter and fun, stained with tragic heartache in
every memory. I whispered a question knowing that the only one that could hear
was God. “Why do some people seem to suffer more than others? When will she see
things turn around in her life?”
Gently and quietly I heard a whisper, or was
it just a thought? “A righteous man may
have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.” “Ok”,
I thought.” I get it, but sometimes life’s problems seem unbearable and the
ending nowhere in sight.”
“Trust me with all your heart, not on what
you think you understand; in all your ways acknowledge me and I will make your
paths straight.” These words felt like melted butter on warm toast, filling
every crevice of doubt that lingered in my heart. I felt a surety that
everything would be ok and that my friend was not at the bottom of a list
somewhere but loved and cherished. I was sure that God was working quietly
behind the troubling circumstances, nurturing his child and making her more
like him.
“How can I help fix this Lord?” was the
question that rolled around my brain. I decided to leave it for the night and
catch up with her the next day. (I was sure that she probably didn’t notice the
concern that came from my end of the conversation.) She had heard me quote
those scriptures before, so my hope was that she would remember each one and we
would carry on like usual.
It would be two whole months before I heard
from her again. Things were a little better but stress still hung close, hiding
behind girlfriend chatter of recent trips, new churches and life changes. After
about a year of sporadic lunch dates I noticed a change, God had been at work
the whole time and I was just being a friend.
I remember sitting across the table when she
tearfully and thankfully told me how she finally felt like God had turned her
life around. I was so excited for her and her new hopeful outlook.
I am grateful for a loving father that could
take a life so broken and without hope and turn that life around, implanting
optimistic expectancy and joy. Imagine that, God was able to turn her life
around for the good all without my plans or strategies.
I am reminded of Moses when faced with war
against the Amalekites. The Amalekites where a nomadic tribe that had no fear
of God and made it their life purpose to destroy the Jews, who they hated. They
were there, continuously at Israel’s heals, cutting them off and attacking the
stragglers which would have been the elderly, women and children. They were a
constant threat to the safety and peace of God’s people.
As Israel went to war, Moses stood on a
mountain, holding his arms up to God. Aaron and Hur stood by his side as they
watched the battle rage down below. As long as Moses held his arms up their
enemies were being defeated. After a while Moses got tired, when he let his
arms hang down the Amalekites started to defeat Israel. Aaron and Hur, seeing the
Amalekites gaining and noticing how exhausted Moses was, jumped to action. They
brought Moses a stone to rest on and they each grabbed an arm and lifted them
up. Aaron and Hur supported Moses when he needed them most and could no longer
do it in his own strength. They didn’t have to figure things out or plan a
strategy, they just supported Moses and gave him a place to rest his weary
self, and God did the rest. The battle was won that day, God brought victory to
the Israelites.
I lost sight of the bigness of God that day.
I allowed circumstances to alter what I knew to be true, the Word of God. It
wasn’t my job to fix her problems; that responsibility belongs to the great
healer, who loves us beyond measure. All I needed to do was to be there, to
encourage her and to hold her arms up as she faced exhaustion in the midst of
her battle.
We don’t always understand the “why”, but we can rest in knowing that God has the
“how” and is completely able to save.
