Have you ever walked through something overwhelming and difficult? It seemed like an eternity as you were in that season. But you knew giving up wasn’t a solution. So you did your best to be steadfast in faith and rely on God’s strength. And when it seemed as if the challenge was finally over, you were overcome with relief. You were thankful that you survived this struggle. You honestly couldn’t be happier to move on to a new chapter in your life.

Then, some time passes and suddenly, you find yourself in a season that looks just like the one you were so elated was over.

What?? How could this happen to me again??? Haven’t I been faithful?

And you begin to have a little bit of a crisis … a faith crisis to be exact. You question what you believe. You struggle with knowing the meaning of it all. You find yourself feeling angry, exhausted from crying, and just ready to give up.

Friend, I may have been there. It wasn’t pretty. My heart was completely broken and I went numb. In an instant, it seemed like my prayers didn’t make a difference. I was angry and I didn’t want to hear what anyone had to say regardless of their best intentions.

After a dear one observed my condition, they didn’t opt to share words of encouragement or wisdom with me. Rather, they prayed. They sought the Father and asked for His help, for His grace, for Him to meet me where I was in my brokenness. They asked for His presence to be made known and that I would be assured I was not forsaken or forgotten. Then they left. And I wasn’t the same after that.

It’s not that my circumstance changed. But the heaviness had lifted. My eyes were opened to see that my Almighty God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And I knew He was the only one I would ever place my faith in because He has never changed nor has His love for me.

Sadly, life doesn’t always go as expected. But the greatest change that occurred as a result of that prayer was a transformation in my heart. Instead of shaking my fists, I learned to declare: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21 NKJV) Yes, I decided that no matter what happened, I was going to continue in relationship with my Abba and worship Him.

Friend, if you find yourself in the midst of a faith crisis, I am praying for you. May God open your eyes and ears to see Him and hear Him. May the loving embrace of our Father be tangible. May His supernatural peace cover you from the top of your head down to the soles of your feet. May God give you strength for each moment. Above all, may you always know that God loves you.
~Joyce

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