"God, where are YOU?"

Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness;
turn your ear to me and save me. Psalm 71:2

David must have been feeling ignored by God when He wrote this. "GOD, where are YOU? Why aren't YOU listening? I CAN'T take this life anymore!" I can feel the desperation in his words: RESCUE me; DELIVER me; TURN...to me; SAVE me!!! Can you relate to David?

Maybe he wasn't seeing instant results to his prayers. Maybe he felt like God left him. Maybe he felt like God owed him something. Maybe he just felt alone and scared and couldn't understand where God was at that moment. Maybe he was overcome by his own guilt and shame and wanted to hide even from himself as well as memories of his past poor choices. Maybe he was tired of living in his own "hell" and was begging God to rescue him. Maybe he doubted the presence of God in his life at that moment. Maybe everything in his life was going wrong and he felt so hopeless...

I know many people who are in that exact same spot today, including Christians: feeling hopeless and overwhelmed by the life they daily wake up to. The "same problems, different day." The ones who are beginning to wonder if God has given up on them because no matter what they do, they are still "stuck" and hurting. I know Christians who plead with Jesus to "hurry and come back", because the aching in their heart is on overload. Others "work, work, work" just to escape the jungle and cloudiness that has formed in their mind. There are those who drink, eat, shop, do drugs, sleep, etc. to drown out the pain. People are feeling hopeless and are tired of fighting! Tired of praying for things that never come to pass! Tired of waiting for "this God" to show up in their life.

It breaks my heart because I know people, including Christians, who want to die. Not because they want to stop living, but because they can't take the pain, sorrow, anxiety, and cares of this world anymore! BUT most people put on their happy, little, pretty smile and whistle while they work, so that others can't see the desperation of their heart. Others withdraw and isolate theirselves because they can't even pretend to be "ok" anymore.

I "get" that! I "get" the desperation in David's life! I "get" the thoughts of 'God is ignoring me!' I "get" feeling like I will never get over the mountain! I "get" being frustrated with people who claim that 'God is so wonderful', and yet He is not being very wonderful in my life! I sooooo totally "get" that! I "get" feeling like God has hurt and disappointed me!

I have been there countless times...

I got tired of "fighting battles" everytime I turned around...

I kept doing what I was supposed to do, yet kept getting knocked down!

People told me to keep "fighting", keep pressing on, keep believing, keep proclaiming, keep the faith...

...and even tho I felt crushed over those right choices that hurt sooooo much, and even though I was soooooooooo tired of pushing and pushing and walking forward and never getting anywhere (so it seemed)...I STILL DID IT!

...even tho I cried a million tears, slept hours and hours to cope, I STILL CHOSE to wake up and FIGHT the battle, praying and begging God to change me and "move" in my life.

I HAVE BROKEN THROUGH!!!

I PRESSED ON(Each day, God took the little I had to give Him)! I DID NOT GIVE UP! I KEPT SEEKING GOD NO MATTER WHAT MY CIRCUMSTANCES SAID! I KEPT BELIEVING IN GOD EVEN THOUGH IT SEEMED LIKE HE WASN'T PAYING ATTENTION TO ME! I PERSEVERED EVEN WHEN, AT TIMES, IT HURT LIKE HELL!

I praise God for the people who kept telling me to press on! I praise God for the spirit inside of me that enabled me to fight day after day! I praise God that because I went through the things I did, that I can sit here and tell you "FIGHT" and "DO NOT GIVE UP!"

BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES!

I KNOW THAT GOD NEVER LEAVES US OR FORSAKES US!

I KNOW THAT GOD IS THE PERFECT FATHER!

I KNOW I DON'T HAVE TO BE DEFEATED!

I KNOW I AM HEALED OF DEPRESSION!

I KNOW I AM LOVED & ADORED BY GOD!

I KNOW ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD!

I KNOW I CAN LOOK FORWARD TO LIVING EVERY DAY!!!

I KNOW THAT I KNOW THAT I KNOW!!!!!!!!!


...and because I KNOW what God is doing and has done in my life, NO ONE CAN convince me that my GOD isn't real!

Soooooooooo, IF you are at a point where you want a different life, a more fulfilling life, a victorious life, THEN KEEP PRESSING ON IN CHRIST JESUS AND DO NOT QUIT! Find a Christian to "partner" up you and walk beside you to be your cheerleader! How desperate are you for change??? How desperate are you for freedom???

If you do not have Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord, and friend...He will take you just as you are!!! But again, YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE! If you feel hurt by God, give HIM another chance to show you how much HE LOVES YOU!!!

My son peeked over my shoulder, and said, "Mom, seriously, why do you always write about God? People are going to get soooooo tired of you and think that you are crazy!"

The answer, my son, is simply this:

I KNOW THAT I KNOW THAT GOD IS REAL AND THAT I AM NOT THE SAME BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS DONE IN MY LIFE!!! I WANT OTHERS TO KNOW THERE IS HOPE! THERE IS MORE TO THIS LIFE!

Isaiah 61
¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners...

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you—
I, whom you have redeemed.
Psalm 71:23