Faith In Deeper Waters

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and You listened to my cry.” (Jonah 2:2)

Do you know anyone who is going through really deep water? Through trials so great—so crushing—that you simply don't know how to help them in a way that will actually ease their suffering?

A dear friend of mine is going through such a trial. And it overwhelms me—breaks my heart—that I can't ease his pain.  

When you look at my friend's life, his brutal history going back to childhood, his debilitating injuries and the constant, chronic pain that he must endure daily, and then you look at my puny little trials in light of his, the word "trials" really need to be in two different dictionaries when you compare our situations.

We've prayed for him for many years since we first met. We've loved him, encouraged him, wept with him, and been there with him through the deep waters of his life.

But for His own purpose and reasons, God has chosen at this time not to heal my friend's afflictions.

And I really don't know how to pray for my friend any differently than I've already been praying for him. Don't know how to encourage him in a way that will tangibly help him. Can't find the words or scriptures that will lift my friend up that won't come across as Christian cliches'. Or as more than just 'Christian talk.'

Do you know what I mean?

Please don't get me wrong. I am not in any way trying to diminish the power or importance of prayer or the Word of God. But sometimes, people's suffering is not eased, no matter how much you pray. And it's not a matter of how much faith we have, or how much faith my friend has.  

Because the fact is, God allows suffering.

So what do you do in a situation like this?

You keep praying.  

You keep seeking, asking, and knocking until you get an answer. And if you don't hear an answer, then all we can know, is, God's grace is sufficient. Sufficient for us. And sufficient for my friend whose suffering never sleeps.

That may seem like a cop-out to some. 

But what else are you going to do?

It's not like God can't heal my friend. But for His own reasons and purpose, He has chosen not to.  

And we have to find a way to be 'okay' with that, to trust God in it; to have faith that God has our friend in His hands, and that He knows what to do.

If we're being honest, we all have had times in our lives where we've prayed, and prayed, and prayed to God for something. For healing. For relief. For help. But the healing, help, and relief does not come when you feel like you can't go on another moment.

At times, people will choose to doubt God in their pain and in their weakness. But where else can we go?

The Apostle Peter said, when Jesus asked him; "Will you also leave Me?"

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)

Truly having faith means to trust in God when we can't see how we can possibly go on. 

The Psalmist wrote:

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18)

This is just one among many, many promises from God to His people. The Lord does hear us when we cry out to Him. He does deliver us from all our troubles. But we don't know when our deliverance will come. Will it be a few months after we have suffered? Will it be years?

Or will deliverance only come in the next life?

Only God knows when He will perform His will in our lives. He alone knows the end from the beginning,

“The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”  (Psalm 19:9)

True "faith" is trusting in God when we can't see the outcome of our trials. True faith is proclaiming Psalm 19:9. 'True and righteous are Your decisions O' Lord.'

Having faith is trusting in the Lord to manage our life—to surrender our hearts and hurts to Him. He alone is faithful and good and He will keep His promises to us.

I had a discussion this morning with my daughter about one of the great Christian authors, and about what is perhaps his most well known book. When asked what my thoughts were about the book, I replied: 

I love the opening chapters. There are some statements so profound; so timely, that I felt like God put this book on my table, at this time, for a great purpose in my life. And I'm sure He did so. But the middle section of the book left me discouraged. The profound quotes I found in the front of the book, I did not see in the middle or at the back. So much knowledge and information; but zero true life application. Facts about God and about His nature. But the true "how to" really have a personal, intimate, one-on-one relationship with God, I did not find. And I think that's the message that God wants me to learn; that I won't find an intimate, personal one-on-one relationship with Him in other men's books, but rather, by crying out to Him. By getting alone in my prayer closet, or in my car parked up in the hills, and really seeking His face.

 And that is the purpose of this blog entry and my encouragement to you today.

As Psalm 34 says,

"The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles."

God promises to hear His children when we cry out to Him. He promises to, in His own time, deliver us from all our troubles.

And that's the answer to my prayers—made in times of anguish—in times of being overwhelmed for my suffering friend.

Keep praying. Keep seeking, keep asking and keep knocking.

Call upon the name of the Lord.

God hears the cries of the afflicted. He answers their cries. He delivers the afflicted from all their troubles.

Trust Him in this.

—He loves you.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.