Someone I love has lost her faith. She respects the beliefs of others but feels unsure what to believe in her own life. What kind of God would allow so much pain? It may not stay this way forever, and she admits that, but for now the sign on her door reads: No God allowed.
It’s difficult to watch someone we love suffer. We feel helpless standing on the sidelines, especially when we fall short on finding the right words. We want to explain why things happen. We want answers that will bring peace and relief. We know God has a plan, but is it easier to believe when all seems right in the world?
Keeping Faith in Difficult Times
I can’t explain the moral to the story for the Book of Job. I don’t know why he lost his job, his house, his wife and his children. I don’t know if there’s an answer for everything in a language we can understand. I believe it requires faith.
How do we communicate this to someone who needs it most, but who has politely requested respect for his or her boundaries? I’m not sure about an exact answer, but there is an exact question: What does God say?
God will answer our questions if we stay open–and keep our hearts open–to hearing him. It may not come in the way we expect it, and it may not come at the exact moment we ask. An answer may unfold as a deeper understanding of truth; it may open our lives to a greater purpose. We have to test this for ourselves, and we can learn more about who God is when we read the Bible.
Believing and trusting God takes faith. Praying for others and knowing those prayers will get answered takes faith. Trusting that even though we don’t have all the answers, God has a plan takes faith.
Our spirits may break. We may hang signs on our door to keep God out. But that’s usually when he’s closest. He knows who he has called, and he won’t rest until every last sheep has been brought back to him. Please pray.