Dealing With The Difficult
September 15, 2021·Dan Hicks
I don’t know your personal belief system, “your theology” if you will. Regardless of what you believe, God wants to encourage you today.
Many times, what or how we think becomes a barrier to receiving the good thing God is trying to give us. Let me give you an example: If we see God only as a harsh judge, or if we see ourselves as unworthy, we are setting up a mental roadblock that can prevent us from receiving the blessing God wants us to have.
Have you ever gone through a difficult situation? Of course you have; in fact, you might be in one right now, I know I am. My message is that God wants to be with us in a new way; helping us face whatever it is we are going through.
While reading our Pause plan this week, Isaiah 30:18 seemed to leap off the page for me.
“Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may have mercy on you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.”
The Lord waits. It is true. Sometimes, we have a difficult time understanding why He waits, or what He is waiting for. In fact, we may never understand or know His reasons. What we must remember is that our God knows everything from start to finish, and His timing is perfect.
I hate to admit it, but I am convinced that when God is waiting, what He’s waiting for is for me to stop trying to make something happen in my own strength. Other times, He is waiting for me to do what He’s told me to do. Much of my journey involves trying to know the difference.
Despite my personal struggle with my difficulty, there are some irrevocable facts I would be wise to be aware of. God will be exalted. He will pour His grace and mercy on me. God is a God of justice.
If I will trust Him and wait for His plan and timing to be accomplished in my life, the heavy burden of trying to fix things begins to lift off my shoulders. I continue to learn that my God is powerful, and nothing is impossible for Him. I truly am blessed if I can learn to wait for Him.
However, when you are in pain (spiritual, emotional, or physical), trying to figure out how to make the pain stop is a natural human reaction. Everything in me wants to find a way to stop receiving chemotherapy. Nothing about it appeals to me. The impact it has on me is the “difficult” I must deal with.
And then this verse begins speaking to me. What I love about it is how it reveals so much about God’s character, how good He is. It gives me direction for how to live in my difficulty. When I feel like God is waiting, I must remember it is not to torture me, but there is a bigger reason. He is the compassionate One and always has my best interest in mind. And He is a God of justice. Our just God will bring justice to our situations, restoring any area of our lives that are presently difficult. You can bank on it, He is taking the time to do everything right in your life and mine! That’s what keeps me going.
Blessed are all those who wait for Him.
Pastor Dan Hicks
