Somebody Needs What You Have - Joel Osteen

The world is desperate to experience the love and compassion of our God. More than any other human attribute, I believe our world is crying out for people with compassion, people who love unconditionally, people who will take some time to help their fellow sojourners on this planet. We're all so busy. We have our own priorities and important plans and agendas. Often, our attitude is: I don't want to be inconvenienced. Don't bother me with your problems. I've got enough problems of my own. But the Scripture says, "If anyone sees his brother in need yet closes his heart of compassion, how can the love of God be in him?" Interesting, isn't it? God's Word implies that we each have a heart of compassion, but the question is whether it is opened or closed. Furthermore, the Bible says, "We are to continually walk in love being guided by love and following love." When God puts love and compassion in your heart toward someone, He's offering you an opportunity to make a difference in that person's life. You must learn to follow that love. Don't ignore it. Act on it. Somebody needs what you have. From Joel Osteen's "Your Best Life Now"

"I Don't Understand It" File - Joel Osteen

Each of us should have what I call an "I Don't Understand It" file. When something comes up for which you have no reasonable answer, instead of dwelling on it and trying to figure it out, simply place it in your I Don't Understand It file. In the meantime, you must muster enough faith to say, "God, I don't understand it, but I trust You. And I'm not going to spend all my time trying to figure out why certain things have happened. I'm going to trust You to make something good out of it. You're a good God, and I know You have my best interests at heart. You promised that all things will work together for my good." That is faith, and that is the attitude God honors.

Even If The Bottom Falls Out - Joel Osteen Quotes

'Remember, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Notice, faith has to do with the unseen world. You may not be able to perceive anything positive happening in your life with your natural eyes today. In fact, everything may be falling apart - your finances, your health, your business, your children. You may have all kinds of problems, and in the natural order, it doesn't look as though anything is turning around. But don't be discouraged. Look into the invisible world, into the supernatural world, and through your eyes of faith, see that situation turning around. See your joy and peace being restored.'

"You've got to believe good things are on their way. You must believe that God is at work in your life, that He is restoring you to your rightful place. In other words, you've got to see those things coming to pass. You've got to see your marriage being restored. You have to see that wayward child coming home. You need to see that business turning around. It has to be conceived in your heart. Look at life through your eyes of faith into that invisible world and see your dreams coming to pass."

'The world tells you, "You need to see it to believe it." But God says just the opposite. Only as you believe it will you ever see it. You've got to look out through your eyes of faith and see it. Once you see it by faith, it can come into existence in the physical world.'

'Remember, no weapon formed against you is going to prosper. That doesn't mean that there will not be opposition in your life; there will be weapons formed against you, and they may be formidable and frightening. But they cannot ultimately hurt you. Your future is intact with God. You will not go under, you will go through. The Scripture says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all."'

'The best is yet to come. You can get up each morning expecting things to turn in your favor. Start expecting His blessings. If you believe, Jesus said, "all things are possible." Let me challenge you to be a believer. Let faith rise in your heart. Get into agreement with God, and He'll do more than you can ask or think.'

'Even if the bottom falls out of your life, your attitude should be "God, I know that You are going to turn this around and use it for my good. God, I believe that You're going to bring me out stronger than ever before."'

The Way We Think - John Ortberg Quotes

"That is why it so ironic that in the most important area of life we often disregard one basic human resource with a nonchalance that is nothing less than astounding - the mind. What we feed everything else we possess is nothing compared with the importance of what we feed our minds." (John Ortberg)
"Whether we are filled with confidence or fear depends on the kind of thoughts that habitually occupy our minds." (John Ortberg)
"The way you think creates your attitudes; the way you think shapes your emotions; the way you think governs your behavior; the way you think deeply influences your immune system and vulnerability to illness. Everything about you flows out of the way you think." (John Ortberg)
"Over the long haul, good thinking - accurate perceptions, healthy emotions, wholesome desires, honorable intentions - cannot produce bad results; bad thinking cannot produce good results." (John Ortberg)
"Your mind will think most about what it is most exposed to. What repeatedly enters your mind occupies your mind, eventually shapes your mind, and will ultimately express itself in what you do and who you become."
"We are flooded with sexual images on television screens, computer terminals, magazine covers, and multiplex movie marquees. Sexually explicit images and e-mails are sent not just to teenagers, but to children who have virtually no chance to protect themselves from what they do not even know they are getting into - and then we profess to be shocked when promiscuity and sexual addiction levels go up and marital fidelity and stability go down."
"If enough teenage girls look at enough magazine covers featuring enough models who are paid outrageous sums of money to make themselves unnaturally thin and then interviewed and quoted as the experts on what makes life worth living, we will raise a generation of young women whose minds are constantly filled with such thoughts. You're not thin enough, not pretty enough, not desirable enough to men. Their feelings of self-esteem will plummet. Hope will die. And the behavioral consequences will skyrocket - and it shouldn't surprise anyone."
"The events you attend, the material you read (or don't), the music you hear, the images you watch, the conversations you hold, the daydreams you entertain - all are shaping your mind and, ultimately, your character and destiny. This is supremely true when it comes to hope."

"If you really want to become a certain kind of person - a hopeful person focused on Christ - you must begin to think thoughts that will produce those characteristics. . . . When we focus on Christ, these are the kinds of thoughts he will inspire you to think. Therefore you must put your mind in a place that will lead you to think hope-producing thoughts. You need to expose your mind to those resources, books, tapes, people, and conversations that will inline you toward confidence in God."

I Am About To Make An Important Decision - Psalm 26 - Psalms Now

I am about to make an important decision, Lord,
and the day before me is charged with uncertainty;
Enable me to sense Your presence,
to feel Your undergirding power,
to be assured of Your guiding concern.

I have been Your son and servant for many years.
Even in my youth I claimed Your redeeming love
and dedicated my life to Your purposes.
Until now I have shunned the world's enticements,
the human ambitions that so teasingly beckon,
to pursue Your objectives
and carry out Your commands.

I have been faithful to the hour of worship
and the time of prayer.
I have celebrated Your grace and sung Your praises.
My dearest friends are those who love and serve You.

Now, O Lord, I have come to a fork in the road.
I don't know which way to turn,
I commit this day into Your hands.
I pray that it may be lived by Your direction
and in accord with Your will.

I raise my voice in thanksgiving, O God,
for You have granted me the assurance
that You will guide my faltering steps.

Leslie Brandt, "Psalms Now"

O God, Why Won't You Leave Me Alone? - Job

“How mankind must struggle. A man’s life is long and hard, like that of a slave. How he longs for the day to end. How he grinds on to the end of the week and his wages. And so to me also have been allotted months of frustration, these long and weary nights. When I go to bed I think, ‘Oh, that it were morning,’ and then I toss till dawn.

“My skin is filled with worms and blackness. My flesh breaks open, full of pus. My life drags by—day after hopeless day. My life is but a breath, and nothing good is left. You see me now, but not for long. Soon you’ll look upon me dead. As a cloud disperses and vanishes, so those who die shall go away forever— gone forever from their family and their home—never to be seen again. Ah, let me express my anguish. Let me be free to speak out of the bitterness of my soul.

“O God, am I some monster that you never leave me alone? Even when I try to forget my misery in sleep, you terrify with nightmares. I would rather die of strangulation than go on and on like this. I hate my life. Oh, leave me alone for these few remaining days. What is mere man that you should spend your time persecuting him? Must you be his inquisitor every morning and test him every moment of the day? Why won’t you leave me alone—even long enough to spit?

“Has my sin harmed you, O God, watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your target, and made my life so heavy a burden to me? Why not just pardon my sin and take it all away? For all too soon I’ll lie down in the dust and die, and when you look for me, I shall be gone.”

- From Job 7, TLB

I'm Falling Apart - Psalm 6 - Psalms Now

O God, don't clobber me in disgust
or chastise me in anger.
But the fact is, I'm falling apart.
I am distraught and confused.
I am in deep trouble,
and I don't know how long I can take it.

I can only beg You to enter into my conflict,
to extricate me from its incessant battering,
to demonstrate Your love
in deliverance and salvation.
Otherwise I'm going down the drain;
and how, then, could I either praise or serve You?

I am fed up with this continual agony;
I can no longer endure these perpetual defeats.
I am becoming increasingly discouraged
over my human frailties and fallibilities.

If only I could be sure
that You know of my anguish,
that You discern my cries for help,
that You also feel and understand,
that You will never let me go,
then I could stand firm even in defeat
and rise victorious even over my failures
and make even my human weaknesses
serve You.

- Leslie Brandt, "Psalms Now"

From The Abyss Of Defeat - Psalm 25 - Psalms Now

I am reaching for You again, O God.
From the abyss of defeat,
the suffocating shame of failure.
I seek Your mercy and Your help.
Enable me to see something of Your will for my life.
Break through this stifling darkness
with some direction, some meaning,
some purpose for my existence.
You are my God; You have promised me salvation.
How long must I wait for Your response?

Have You given me up, O Lord?
Are You remembering the uncountable times
that I have failed You?
Then I am remembering Your steadfast love,
that Your concern is for those
who fail and humble,
that You seek to restore those
who humbly reach out for You.

I know well that those
who walk in Your course for their lives
find contentment and fulfillment.
I have tried to do so, and again I have failed.
I am aware that those who serve You
will know true security and abundance.
I have sought this only to be snared
and incapacitated by my own weaknesses.

O God, have mercy!
I know my guilt is great.
Look upon my emptiness and loneliness,
consider kindly my afflictions and despair,
remember the perpetual presence
of my human weaknesses and instincts.
Regard once more the pernicious and violent forces
that oppose Your will in my life.
Forgive me my many sins,
and restore me to Yourself.
Watch over me and hold on to me, O God,
lest I fall again.

- Leslie Brandt, "Psalms Now"

Some Friends Bring No Comfort - Psalms Now - Psalms 41 and 21

'I receive no comfort from many
who I thought were my friends.
I could drop dead; they couldn't care less.
When we meet,
their words are empty,
their thoughts pregnant with suspicion.
When we part,
they go out to spread their suspicions abroad,
imagining the worst about me
and whispering behind my back.

I can well imagine their conversation:
"One would think he'd be
beyond this sort of thing;
and here he calls himself religious.
Why, he's as bad as the worst of them,
He's had it! He won't crawl out of this!"
Even the one person I trusted the most,
in whom I confided,
with whom I lovingly related,
even he looks down his nose at me
as one he would rather step on than support.
He no longer wants anything to do with me."'

- Psalm 41 - Leslie Brant - "Psalms Now"


'But I feel as empty and insignificant
as a bag full of wind.
I don't really expect men's plaudits,
but I so sorely feel their criticism.
I risk all in following
what I feel to be Your will for me;
yet even my friends fail to support me,
and they actually turn against me.
"He thinks he's doing God's will," they say,
"But he'll be sorry he made that decision."'

- Psalm 22 - Leslie Brandt - "Psalms Now"

God Is Here - Let's Celebrate! - Psalm 145 - Psalms Now

"God is here - let's celebrate!
Let us enlist our lives in perpetual celebration
over God's goodness and greatness.
Let us announce to the world God's presence
and proclaim His loving concern for all men.

How compassionate He is over all He has created,
how tender toward His failure-fraught creatures!
He will not cop out on His promises to us.
His blessings are not reserved only for those
who fit obediently into His design for them.
He is just - and He is forgiving.
He gently picks up those who have fallen
and restores them to sonship and servanthood.
He sustains those who are wavering in weakness
and grants them His grace and strength.
He reaches into the void of empty lives
and enriches and fulfills their hungry hearts.
He is near enough to hear our every cry,
to sense our every need,
to grant us whatever is necessary
to make us happy and productive
as we seek to follow and to serve Him.
How incomparably glorious is our great God!
May our mouths articulate and our lives demonstrate
His ever-present love for all His creatures.
Let us celebrate
the eternal mercy and goodness of our God."

- Leslie Brandt, "Psalms Now"

O God, It Is Difficult To Understand - Psalm 144 - Psalms Now

"O God, it is difficult to understand
how You can regard man with such high regard
and show him so much concern.
His years upon this earth are so few.
He is little more than a wisp of wind
in the time and space of Your great universe.

You created him as the object of Your love -
only to see him turn from You
to play with his foolish toys.
You tried to teach him to love his fellowman -
only to see him express his fear
and suspicion and hate
through cruel acts of violence and war.
You showered upon him Your abundant gifts -
only to see him make them his ultimate concern.

Still You continue to love him
and seek incessantly to save him
from destroying himself and the world
You have placed in his hands.
Even while he rejects You,
You reach out to draw him back to Yourself.
Even while he suffers the painful consequences
of his rank rebelliousness,
You offer to him Your healing
and demonstrate Your desire
to restore him to love and joy."

- Leslie Brandt, "Psalms Now"

Sometimes It Just Isn't Worth It - Psalm 143 - Psalms Now

"It was another one of those days, Lord,
when I should have stayed in bed.
Everything I attempted to do was destined for failure.
I honestly tried to show concern for my fellowman
but got cold shoulders in return.
I tried to speak words of comfort,
and they were thrown right back into my teeth.
I wanted to do well at my job,
but it seemed I just got in everybody's way.

Sometimes it just isn't worth it, Lord,
and I wonder if it isn't time to fold up
and shove off in search of greener pastures.
I want desperately to be a success,
to add points to my score,
or to get commended now and then.
But this didn't happen today, Lord,
and it happens so seldom, I wonder what's wrong.
Am I following Your course for my life,
or am I just muddling through without design?

I need You, God, more now than ever before.
And if I don't get some special lift,
some sense of Your support and encouragement,
I will go right down the tube.

Come closer, O Lord, that I may hear again
Your voice of comfort and concern."

- Leslie Brandt, "Psalms Now"

Where Is My Faith? - Mother Teresa's Doubt

'I think of Agnes. From the time she was a young girl, Agnes believed. Not just believed - she was on fire. She wanted to do great things for God. She said she wanted to "love Jesus as he has never been loved before." She knew Jesus was with her and had an undeniable sense of him calling her. She wrote in her journal., "My soul at present is in perfect peace and joy." She experienced a union with God that was so deep and so continual that it was to her a rapture. She left her home, became a missionary, gave him everything.

And then God left her.

At least, that is how it felt to her. Where is my faith? she wondered. Even deep down there is nothing but emptiness and darkness. . . . . My God, how painful is this unknown pain. . . . . I have no faith. She tried to pray: "I utter words of community prayers - and try my utmost to get out of every word the sweetness it has to give. But my prayer of union is not there any longer. I no longer pray."

On the outside she worked, she served, she smiled. But she spoke of her smile as her "mask, a cloak that covers everything."

This inner darkness and dryness and pain over the absence of God continued on, year after year, with one brief respite, for nearly fifty years. Such was the secret pain of Agnes, who is better know as Mother Teresa.

The letters that expressed her inner torment were a secret during her life, and she asked that they be destroyed. But a strange thing has happened. Her willingness to persist in the face of such agonizing doubts brings comfort and strength to people that an inner life of ease and certainty never could. As in her life she was a servant of the poor, so in her anguish she has become a missionary for those who doubt.

How are we to understand this? It should warn us about easy formulae that are guaranteed to make us feel closer to God. . . . .

Some people, of course, see this as Mother Teresa just battling up against the reality that God isn't really there after all. "She was no more exempt from the realization that religion is a human fabrication than any other person, and that her attempted cure was more and more professions of faith could only have deepened the pit that she had dug for herself," writes Christopher Hitchens. Richard Dawkins warned everyone not to be "taken in by the santimoniously hypocritical Mother Teresa." This, by the way, strikes me as bad strategy. If you are trying to convert people to atheism, taking a shot at Mother Teresa can't be your best move.

But Mother Teresa didn't have this negative understanding. She did not reject God, but neither did she overcome her pain over God's silence. Rather, in a strange way, it became a part of her. A wise spiritual counselor told her three things she needed to hear. One was that there was no human remedy for this darkness. (So she should not feel responsible for it.) Another was that "feeling" the presence of Jesus was not the only or even the primary evidence of his presence. (Jesus himself said by their fruits - not their certainty - you shall know them.) In fact, the very craving for God was a "sure sign" that God was present - though in a hidden way - in her life. And the third bit of wisdom was that the pain she was going through could be redemptive. Jesus himself had to experience the agony of the absence of God: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And as his suffering was redemptive for us, so Mother Teresa could suffer redemptively by holding on to God in the midst of darkness.'

- John Ortberg "Faith & Doubt"

I Am Confused And Lost - Psalm 142 - Leslie Brandt

"I direct my cries to the Lord.
Out of the ear-piercing sounds and
ceaseless turmoil of this concrete jungle
I speak God's name.
For my heart is deeply troubled and depressed,
and I feel weary and faint.

I am confused and lost.
I cannot find my way.
The nameless faces that flit by
take no notice of me.
No one knows my name,
and no one cares.

I turn to You, O God.
You have heard me before,
and You responded to my cries.
Perhaps even amid the frustrating activity
and crowded streets of the great city
You can hear the cries of a lonely child.

O God, deliver me from my prison of loneliness.
Turn my cries of distress
into proclamations of joy.
Direct my steps into the fellowship
of others who love and serve You."

- Leslie Brandt, "Psalms Now"

Curb My Tongue For I Hurt My Friend - Psalm 141 - Leslie Brandt

"O God, I come to You in sorrow and shame.
I spoke up in my own defense today
and uttered words that knifed their way
into the heart of my friend,
and this created a great rift between us.
I would never raise my hand to strike him,
but the tongue is more destructive than the fist,
and I hurt that one whom I love.

Heal the hurt of my friend, O Lord,
and heal the sickness within my heart
that forced my foolish tongue
into such irresponsible actions.

I come to claim Your loving mercy.
I pray, as well, that you grant my friend
the grace to forgive me.
May Your Spirit who abides in my heart
curb and control my rebellious tongue
and teach me to speak words
that give life and promote love
in the hate-ridden world about me."

- Leslie Brandt, "Psalms Now"

Deliver Us From Hostility - Psalm 140 - Leslie Brandt

"O God, deliver our nation and our world
from those men in positions of authority
who resort to violence
to carry out their objectives.
They sweet-talk us into believing
they are acting in our interests,
and brainwash us into blind,
flag-waving allegiance,
until we march by their side
into bloody wars that decimate and destroy
our brothers and sisters
in the family of man.

Deliver all of us, O Lord,
from the notion that anything of value or worth
can be obtained by hostile or violent actions." 

- Leslie Brandt, "Psalms Now"

Have Mercy On A Selfish And Self-Centred Creature - Psalm 101 - Leslie Brandt

"O God, I love those hymns
that speak of loyalty and justice,
those prayers for the deprived and oppressed -
even while I deprive and oppress my fellowmen
through my apathy and egocentricity.

I embrace the old creeds that tell of Your love
and the commandments that instruct me
to reflect that love to others -
even while I turn inward
and allow bigotry and prejudice
to color my relationships
to those outside my private little club.

I treasure those promises I made in the sanctuary,
those vows and solemn pledges before the altar -
even while I flirt with this world's gods
and bow before man-made shrines.

I decry the distortions of our world,
the poverty and pain and the indignities
suffered by multitudes
of this world's citizens -
even while I stand aloof
and wait for man's sorry needs
to be met by others
and brazenly oppose those remedies
which may result in personal deprivation.

I avoid the sinner
and belittle the proud
and stand clear of cheaters and liars
and choose as my companions
the qualified
and respected
members of my society.
And all the while I claim to be Your son
and to walk in Your ways.

Have mercy upon me, O God,
for I am a selfish and self-centered creature!"

- Leslie Brandt, "Psalms Now"   

 

Strike The Scales Off Our Eyes - Psalm 94 - Psalms Now - Leslie Brandt

"Even those of us who name Your name
and sing Your praises
are often indifferent to or careless about
the needs of our fellowmen about us.
We stand indicted, Lord.
Our calloused self-centeredness has perpetuated
the wars and poverty and bigotry
that abound about us.
We don't hate these people, Lord.
We just don't really care about them

"Is it possible, O Lord, that we are Your enemies?
That we are thwarting Your purposes
and abusing Your children upon this world?
We are busy with good works, Lord.
We build churches and send forth missionaries
and establish schools and hospitals
and homes for the elderly.
But we don't like the ghettos, Lord,
or the people who can't speak our language
or don't appreciate our patronizing gifts.
They frighten us when they reach out
for what we have labored for,
our affluence, our respectability,
our right to be wealthy
and comfortable and secure.
Sometimes, Lord, we just don't like people.
Why don't they leave us alone
so we can love and serve You in peace?"

"Thank You, God, for not pouring out Your wrath
upon those who are disobedient to You.
We have been Your enemies.
Even while we worship
in our comfortable sanctuaries,
we have stood in Your way.
And thank You, God,
because You love even Your enemies
and through Your chastisement
may translate them into sons."

"Strike the scales from our eyes, O Lord,
that we may see Your handwriting on the wall
and accept Your chastening love
and return to You in repentance and faith.
Strike the shackles from our hearts and hands
that we may reach out to demonstrate
and to relate Your love
to Your children all about us."  

When God Does Not Make Sense - James Dobson - Quotes

"My chief concern at this point, and the reason I have chosen to write this book, is for my fellow believers who are struggling with circumstances that don't make sense. In my work with families who are going through various hardships, from sickness and death to marital conflict and adolescent rebellion, I have found it common for those in crisis to feel great frustration with God. This is particularly true when things happen that seem illogical and inconsistent with what had been taught or understood. Then if the Lord does not rescue them from the circumstances in which they are embroiled, their frustration quickly deteriorates into anger and a sense of abandonment. Finally, disillusionment sets in and the spirit begins to wither."

"In fact, the majority of us will someday feel an alienation from God. Why? Because those who live long enough will eventually be confronted by happenings they will not understand. That is the human condition. Let me say it again. It is an incorrect view of Scripture to say that we will always comprehend what God is doing, and how our suffering and disappointment fit into His plan. Sooner or later, most of us will come to a point where it appears that God has lost control - or interest - in the affairs of people. It is only an illusion, but with dangerous implications, for spiritual and mental health. Interestingly enough, pain and suffering do not cause the greatest damage. Confusion is the factor that shreds one's faith."

"Christians who become confused and disillusioned with God have no such consolation. It is the absence of meaning that makes their situation so intolerable. As such, their depression over a sudden illness or the tragic death of a loved one can actually be more severe than that experienced by the nonbeliever who expected and received nothing. It is not uncommon to hear a confused Christian express great agitation, anger, or even blasphemy."

"There is no greater distress in human experience than to build one's entire way of life on a certain theological understanding, and then have it collapse at a time of unusual stress and pain. A person in this situation faces the crisis that rattled his foundation. Then he must deal with the anguish of rejection. The God whom he has loved, worshiped, and served turns out to appear silent, distant, and uncaring in the moment of greatest need. Do such times come even to the faithful? Yes, they do, although we are seldom willing to admit it within the Christian community."

"This determination to believe when the proof is not provided and when the questions are not answered is central to our relationship with the Lord. He will never do anything to destroy the need for faith. In fact, He guides us through times of testing specifically to cultivate that belief and dependence on Him."

'When the heat is on and confusion mounts, some believers go through a horrendous spiritual crisis. They "lose God." Doubt rises up to obscure His presence and disillusionment settles into despair. The greatest frustration is knowing that He created the entire universe by simply speaking it into existence, and He has all power and all understanding. He could rescue. He could heal. He could save. But why won't He do it? This sense of abandonment is a terrible experience for someone whose entire being is rooted in the Christian ethic. Satan then drops by for a little visit and whispers, "He is not there! You are alone!"'

'What does such a person do when God makes no sense? To whom does he confess his troubling - even heretical - thoughts? From whom does he seek counsel? What does he tell his family when his faith is severely shaken? Where does he go to find a new set of values and beliefs? While searching for something more reliable in which to believe, he discovers that there is no other name-no other god-to whom he can turn. James 1:8 refers to that individual as a "double minded man [who] is unstable in all his ways". He of all people, is most miserable and confused.'

'For the heartsick, bleeding soul out there today who is desperate for a word of encouragement, let me assure you that you can trust this Lord of heaven and earth. There is security and rest in the wisdom of the eternal Scriptures. I believe you will see that the Lord can be trusted - even when He can't be tracked. Of this you can be certain: Jehovah, King of kings and Lord of lords, is not pacing the corridors of heaven in confusion over the problems of your life. He hung the worlds in space. He can handle the burdens that have weighed you down, and he cares about you deeply. For a point of beginning He says, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)'

'After years of consistent answers to prayers, the Lord may choose not to grant a request we think is vitally important. In a matter of moments, the world can fall off its axis. Panic stalks the soul as life and death hang in the balance. A pounding heart betrays the anxiety within. "But where is God? Does He know what is happening? Is He concerned? Why have the heavens grown dark and silent? What have I done to deserve this abandonment? Haven't I served Him with a willing heart? What must I do to regain His favor?" Then, as frustration and fear accumulate, the human spirit recoils in distrust and confusion.'

'In Dr R T Kendall's opinion, 100 percent of believers eventually go through a period when God seems to let them down. It may occur shortly after becoming a Christian. The new convert loses his job, or his child becomes ill, or business reverses occur. Or maybe, after serving Him faithfully for many years, life suddenly starts to unravel. It makes no sense. It seems so unfair. The natural reaction is to say, "Lord, is this the way You treat Your own? I thought You cared for me, but I was wrong. I can't love a God like that." It is a tragic misunderstanding.'

'For the benefit of those of you who are enduring that withering attack on your faith, I want to share some similar experiences in the lives of other Christians. As indicated, it is important to recognize that you are not alone. Your pain and discouragement, which might lead you to ask "Why me?" are not unique. You have not been singled out for sorrow. Most of us are destined, it seems, to bump our heads on the same ol' rock. From ancient times, men and women have grieved over stressful circumstances that did not fit any pattern of logic or symmetry. It happens to us all sooner or later. Millions have been there. And despite what some Christians will tell you, being a follower of Jesus Christ is no foolproof insurance policy against these storms of life.'

'So tell me, where did we get the notion that the Christian life is a piece of cake? Where is the evidence for the "name it, claim it" theology that promises God will skip along in front of us with His great Cosmic Broom, sweeping aside each trial and every troubling uncertainty? To the contrary, Jesus told His disciples that they should anticipate suffering. He said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Paul wrote, "In all our troubles my joy knows no bounds. For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn - conflicts on the outside, fears within (2 Corinthians 7:4-5). Peter left no doubt about difficulties in this Christian life when he wrote, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13). Note in each of these references the coexistence of both joy and pain.'

'My concern is that many believers apparently feel God owes them smooth sailing or at least a full explanation (and perhaps an apology) for the hardships they encounter. We must never forget that He, after all, is God. He is majestic and holy and sovereign. He is accountable to no one. He is not an errand boy who chases the assignments we dole out. He is not a genie who pops out of the bottle to satisfy our whims. He is not our servant - we are His. And our reason for existence is to glorify and honor Him. Even so, sometimes He performs mighty miracles on our behalf. Sometimes He chooses to explain His action in our lives. Sometimes His presence is as real as if we had encountered Him face to face. But at other times when nothing makes sense - when what we are going through is "not fair," when we feel all alone in God's waiting room - He simply says, "Trust Me!"'

"Clearly, what we have in Scripture is a paradox. On the one hand, we are told to expect suffering and hardship that could even cost us our lives. On the other hand, we are encouraged to be joyful, thankful and 'of good cheer.' How do those contradictory ideas link together? How can we be triumphant and under intense pressure at the same time? How can we be secure when surrounded by insecurity? That is a mystery which, according to Paul, 'transcends all understanding.'"

'A wonderful illustration of this unseen presence is described in Luke 24, when two of Jesus' disciples were walking toward a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They had seen their Master horribly crucified three days earlier, and they were severely depressed. Everything that they hoped for had died on that Roman cross. All the dramatic things Jesus had said and done now appeared contrived and untrue. He had spoken with such authority but now He was dead and laid to rest in a borrowed tomb. He claimed to be the Son of God, yet they had heard Him cry in His last hours, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The disciples couldn't have been more confused. What was the meaning of the time they had spent with this man who called Himself the Messiah?'

"Never assume God's silence or apparent inactivity is evidence of His disinterest. Let me say it again. Feelings about His inaccessibility mean nothing! His Word is infinitely more reliable than our spooky emotions."

"Haven't you noticed that Jesus usually shows up about four days late? He often arrives after we have wept and worried and paced the floor - after we have sweated out the medical examination or fretted our way through business reverses. If He had arrived on time we could have avoided much of the stress that occurred in His absence. Yet it is extremely important to recognize that He is never actually late. His timetable for action is simply different from ours. And it is usually slower."

"Look at the human talent that has been 'wasted' by early death or disability over the centuries. Wolfgang Mozart, for example, may have had the greatest musical mind in the history of the world. He composed his first symphony at five years of age and turned out a remarkable volume of brilliant work. But he died penniless at 35, being unable to attract any interest in his compositions. His most valuable possession at the time of his death was a violin worth about two dollars. He was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave, and no one attended his funeral. Who was it that said life is fair?"

"One of the most breathtaking concepts in all of Scripture is the revelation that God knows each of us personally and that we are in His mind both day and night. There is simply no way to comprehend the full implications of this love by the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is all-powerful and all-knowing, majestic and holy, from everlasting to everlasting. Why would He care about us - about our needs, our welfare, our fears? We have been discussing situations in which God doesn't make sense. His concern for us mere mortals is the most inexplicable of all."

'Then I realized that there must be times when God also feels our intense pain and suffers along with us. Wouldn't that be characteristic of a Father whose love was infinite? How He must hurt when we say in confusion, "How could You do this terrible thing, Lord? Why not? I thought I could trust You! I thought You were my friend!" How can He explain within our human limitations that our agony is necessary, that it does have a purpose, that there are answers to the tragedies of life?'

"No, we human beings hardly qualify as gods - even piddly ones. Despite our intense efforts to understand ourselves, we have learned very little about living together harmoniously or even what makes us tick. The best trained and most respected secular psychologists and psychiatrists still believe that man is basically good - that he only learns to do evil from society. If that were true, surely there would be at least one culture somewhere in the world where selfishness, dishonesty, and violence have not shown up. Instead the history of human experience down through the millennia is the history of warfare - and murder and greed and exploitation. 'Peace' is what we call that brief moment between wars when people stop to reload."

"You might also take a good look at your children. How can anyone who has raised a toddler fail to recognize that rebellion, selfishness and aggression do not have to be cultivated? Kids come by it quite naturally."

"Certainly, we have learned much from the explosion of research and scientific investigation. I'm not disparaging that effort. I am saying that most of what was believed in ages past was palpably wrong. Could it be that we are living today in the first period in human history when nearly everything we have concluded is accurate? No chance!"

"If human intelligence and perception are undependable in assessing everyday reality, which can be seen, touched, heard, tasted, and smelled, how much less capable is it of evaluating the unfathomable God of the universe? Our efforts to encapsulate and comprehend Him are equally as futile. We can only delve so far into the infinite mind of the Maker before we run out of marbles. Still, the arrogance of mankind in ignoring or challenging the wisdom of the Almighty is shocking at times."

"I've been trying to say with this discussion that our view of God is too small - that His power and His wisdom cannot even be imagined by us mortals. He is not just 'the man upstairs' or 'the great chauffeur in the sky.' or some kind of Wizard who will do a dance for those who make the right noises. We dare not trivialize the One . . ."

"If we truly understood the majesty of this Lord and the depth of His love for us, we would certainly accept those times when He defies human logic and sensibilities. Indeed, that is what we must do. Expect confusing experiences to occur along the way. Welcome them as friends - as opportunities for your faith to grow. Hold fast to your faith, without which it is impossible to please Him. Never let yourself succumb to the "betrayal barrier," which is Satan's most effective tool against us. Instead, store away your questions for a lengthy conversation on the other side, and then press on toward the mark. Any other approach is foolhardy - because your arms are too short to box with God."

"A moment will also come in your lifetime when the facts will lead to despair. Maybe that moment has already arrived. At those times God seems to contradict Himself and no satisfactory explanation is forthcoming. The particular nature of the confusion varies from person to person, but a crisis of some dimension is inevitable. Faith never goes unchallenged for long. The question is, How will we deal with it when it comes? Will we break and run? Will we waver in disbelief? Will we 'curse God and die', as Job's wife suggested? I pray not! And if we prepare now for the experience, I believe we can steel ourselves against the assault of that hour."

"Is your raft skidding sideways in the river today? Is it plunging down the rapids towards the rocks below, terrifying everyone on board? Have you considered jumping into the river and trying to swim to safety on your own? That is precisely what Satan would have you do. He wants you to give up on God, who seems to have lost control of your circumstances. But I urge you not to leave the safety of His protection. The Captain knows what He is doing. There are purposes that you cannot perceive or comprehend. You may never understand - at least not in this life - but you must not let go of your faith."

"Don't demand explanations. Don't lean on your ability to understand. Don't turn loose of your faith. But do choose to trust Him, by the exercise of the will He has placed within you. The only other alternative - is despair."

"It is obvious not only that prayer is honored by the Lord, but that we are commanded to enter into this personal communication with Him. And what a privilege it is! Have you considered the nature of this gift we have been granted by the Almighty? We need not make an appointment to get His attention. There are no administrative assistants or secretaries with whom we must negotiate. He never puts us off to a later date when His schedule is less congested. Instead, we are invited to walk boldly into His presence at any moment, day or night. He hears the faintest cry of the sick, the lonely, the despised of the world. Every one of us is known and loved by Him, despite our imperfection and failures. Truly, the invitation to prayer is a precious expression of the Creator's incomparable love and compassion for humanity."

"Consider for a moment the kind of world it would be if God did exactly what we demanded in every instance. First believers would outlive nonbelievers by centuries. The rest of the human family would be trapped in decaying bodies, but Christians and their children would live in an idyllic world set apart.. . The entire basis for the God-man relationship would be undermined. People would seek a friendship with Him in order to gain the fringe benefits, rather than responding with a heart of repentance and love. Indeed, the most greedy among us would be the first to be drawn to the benefits of the Christian life. Most importantly, these evidences of God's awesome power would eliminate the need for faith."

"We can't see the future. We don't know His plan. We perceive only the small picture, and not even that very clearly. Given this limitation, it seems incredibly arrogant to tell God what to do - rather than making our needs known and then yielding to His divine purposes."

'God says to us, "Everyone is asked to endure some things that bring discomfort, pain, or sorrow. This is yours. Accept it. Carry it. I will give you the grace to endure it." Thus life goes on in a state of relative imperfection.'

"Unfortunately, there are a few highly visible Christian ministers who confuse people by teaching them there is no need for perseverance and self-control. Why should we practice endurance when health and wealth are available to everyone? By making just the right noises to God, we can tap into His power for trouble-free living. They would transform the King of the Universe into a subservient magician, or a high-powered errand boy, who has bound Himself irrevocably to the whims and wishes of us mere mortals. It is a dangerous misrepresentation of Scripture with far-reaching implications for the uninitiated."

"It's not that God can't heal the blind - or any other disease or deformity. He can and He does. But to my knowledge, He never performs those miracles en masse. Let's put it this way: I have never seen any minister fulfill a promise of universal healing to all comers. Oh, there are some who would have us believe they have a magic touch. But there is reason for skepticism. Furthermore, there's often a disturbing hysteria or a circus atmosphere in the healing services. Such mass-produced miracles affront the sovereignty of God and make a sham of His holy worship."

"I am concerned about the teaching of universal health and prosperity. It establishes a level of expectations which will eventually wound and weaken unstable Christians. . . And it begins with a theological distortion that promises a stress-free life and a God who always does what He is told."

"Perhaps you have noticed that life seems blatantly unfair. It pampers some of us and devastates others. Perhaps this is the most disturbing question posed to the thoughtful Christian. How can we explain such an apparent injustice? How can an infinitely loving and just God permit some people to experience lifelong tragedy while others seem to enjoy every good and perfect gift?"

"That utter abandonment to the sovereign will of the Lord is what He wants of His people, even when circumstances seem to swirl out of control. He can rescue - but if not . . . ! He will never let you down - but He won't let you off, either!"

"There is no stability or predictability in this imperfect world. It is that way for you and me, too. We must expect the unexpected - the unsettling - the irritating. One day we'll ride high above the fray and the next we could slide under the door. So whence cometh the stability in such a topsy-turvy world? It is found only by anchoring our faith on the unchanging, everlasting Lord, whose promises never fail and whose love is all encompassing. Our joy and our hope can be as steady as the sunrise even when the happenings around us are transitioning from wonderful to tragic. That's what Scripture teaches us, and His peace is there for those who choose to take it."

"The bottom line is that our welfare on this mortal coil is influenced by forces that are beyond the scope of our intellect. We are caught up in a struggle between good and evil that plays a significant, although unidentified, role in our lives. Our task, then, is not to decipher exactly how these pieces fit and what it all means, but to remain faithful and obedient to Him who knows all mysteries."

"Our message boils down to this very simple understanding: there is nothing the Lord wants of us more than the exercise of our faith. He will do nothing to undermine it, and we cannot please him without it. To define the term again, faith is believing that which has no absolute proof. It is hanging tough when the evidence would have us bail out. It is determining to trust him when He has not answered all the questions or even assured a pain-free passage."

"There is no better illustration of this faithfulness than is seen in the second half of Hebrews chapter 11. This Scripture, to which we referred earlier, has been called the 'heroes hall of fame', and it bears great relevance to our discussion. Described therein are the men and women who persevered in their faith under the most extreme circumstances. They were subjected to every kind of hardship and danger for the sake of the Cross. Some were tortured, imprisoned, flogged, stoned, sawed in two, and put to death by the sword. They were destitute, mistreated, persecuted, and inadequately clothed. They wandered in the deserts, in mountain, in caves, and in holes in the ground. Most important for our topic, they died not receiving what had been promised. In other words, they held onto their faith to the point of death, even though God had not explained what He was doing."

"Perhaps you are among those who have struggled to comprehend a particular heartache and God's reason for allowing it. A thousand unanswered questions have been recycling in your mind - most of them beginning with 'Why . . .?" You want desperately to trust the Father and believe in His grace and goodness. But deep inside, you're held captive by a sense of betrayal and abandonment. The Lord obviously permitted your difficulties to occur. Why didn't He prevent them - and why has He not attempted to explain or apologize for them? The inability to answer those fundamental questions has become a spiritual barrier a mile high, and you can't seem to find a way around or over it."

"To those whom I have been describing - those who have struggled to understand God's providence - I bring hope to you today! No, I can't provide tidy little solutions to all of life's annoying inconsistencies. That will not occur until we see the Lord face to face. But his heart is especially tender toward the downtrodden and the defeated. He knows your name and he has seen every tear you have shed. He was there on each occasion when life took a wrong turn. And what appears to be divine disinterest or cruelty is a misunderstanding at best and a satanic lie at worst."

'If you were sitting before me at this moment, you might be inclined to ask, "Then how do you explain the tragedies and hardships that have come into my life? Why did God do this to me?" My reply is not profound. But I know it is right! God usually does not choose to answer those questions in this life! That's what I've been trying to say. He will not parade His plans and purposes for our approval. We must never forget that He is God. As such He wants us to believe and trust in him despite the things we don't understand. It's that straightforward.'

"Jehovah never did answer Job's intelligent inquiries, and He will not respond to all of yours. Every person who ever lived, I submit, has had to deal with seeming contradictions and enigmas. You will not be the exception. If that explanation is unsatisfactory and you can't accept it, then you are destined to go through life with a weak, ineffectual faith - or no faith at all. You'll just have to construct your castles on some other foundation. That will be your greatest challenge, however - because there is no other foundation."

"When you think about it, there is comfort in the approach to life's trials and tribulations. We are relieved from the responsibility of trying to figure them out. We haven't been given enough information to decipher the code. It is enough to acknowledge that God makes sense even when He doesn't make sense."

"Throughout our remaining days in this life, therefore, let me urge you not to be discouraged by temporal cares. Accept the circumstances as they are presented to you. Expect periods of hardship to occur, and don't be dismayed when they arrive. 'Lean into the pain' when your time to suffer comes around, knowing that God will use the difficulty for His purposes - and, indeed, for our own good. The Lord is very near, and He has promised that your temptation will not be greater than you can bear."

"Sometimes He also lets you and me 'struggle with the oars' until we recognize our dependence on Him. In so doing, He gives our faith an opportunity to grow and mature. But one thing is certain. We are ever in His vision. When His purposes are fulfilled and the time is right, He will calm the stormy sea and lead us to safety on the distant shore."

"Let me take one more shot at the Christian writers and speakers who promote the expectation of ease in this Christian walk. They would have us believe that the followers of Jesus do not experience the trials and frustrations that pagans go through. Some of them appear so anxious to tell us what we want to hear that they distort the truths expressed in the Word. They would have us believe that the Lord rushes into action the instant we face a hardship, eliminating every discomfort or need. Well, sometimes He does just that. At other times He doesn't. Either way, He is there and has our lives in perfect control."

Does that mean, as it would seem, that we should not feel free to express our deepest longings and frustrations to the Lord? Is He so demanding and detached that we must hide our fears from Him or try to be something we're not? Should we grin and bear it when every cell of our bodies aches in sorrow? Must we mimic ducks that sit quietly on a lake but are paddling like crazy below the surface? No! At least 100 Scriptures will refute that uncaring image of God. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28). We are told that He "knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust" (Psalm 103:14). He also understands that some of us are strong and confident by temperament. Others are naturally more anxious. That should come as no surprise to the One who made us the way we are.' 'One of the popular choruses of today offers this happy thought, "Something good is going to happen today, happen today, happen today. Something good is going to happen today. Jesus of Nazareth is passing this way." I have a strong dislike for that well-intentioned little rendition because it is based on bad theology. I understand how the lyrics are intended to be interpreted, but they imply that Christianity guarantees a person only "good things." It is not true. Let's be honest. As the world interprets it, something terrible could happen to you today. Christians do get sick and die, just like the rest of the world. They do lose their jobs like other people, and they do have car wrecks and dental problems and sick kids. Believing otherwise is a trap from which many young believers, and some old ones, never escape!'"It is not your responsibility to explain what God is doing with your life. He has not provided enough information to figure it out. Instead, you are asked to turn loose and let God be God. Therein lies the secret to the 'peace that transcends understanding.'"

"Just how tough is your faith? How secure is mine? Will we permit the Lord to use our weakness, our disability, our disappointment, our inadequacy, to accomplish His purposes? Will you and I worship and serve this Master even in suffering? Does our 'expectation' as followers of Jesus leave room for frustration and imperfection?"

"God is not against us for our sins. He is for us against our sins. That makes all the difference."

Billy Graham On Healing

"I have attended a number of healing meetings. Some sickened me because of the emotional hysteria present. I have also attended healing meetings where the services were conducted decently and in order. At those, I have witnessed the quiet moving of the Spirit of God in a way that could offend no one. In meetings like that, the Spirit used God's servants with special gifts to do His will."


"I believe that true faith involves a complete surrender of our life to the will of God, whatever it is, even when God does not choose to heal us. This means we are willing to be healed, or willing to remain afflicted, or willing to die - willing for whatever God wants!"


"But God does not always choose to heal us. As I have said, I can find no evidence in Scripture that it is the will of God to heal all people of all illnesses. If the Holy Spirit gives a sick person or someone who is praying for a sick person the gift of faith that the person will be healed, then we can be sure the person will be healed. But God does not always give the gift of faith. This means that sick people and their loved ones should certainly pray for the one who is ill, but in the absence of the gift of faith they must pray, 'If it be Thy will'."


"Prudence differs from presumption, and we ought not tempt God. If a sick Christian resorts to faith for healing, he should be certain God has given him that faith. Lacking it, he ought to seek the help of the physicians. And in my judgement it is normal for a Christian to use the medical help God provides. Medicine and physicians are of God, too."


"If medication is not available, or if doctors have pronounced a case incurable, and God lays it on our hearts to look to Him in simple faith for the impossible, then we must follow His leading. But this leading must come from God, not the urging of fellow Christians. However, if medication and doctors are available, to ignore them in favour of asking God to heal seems to me to border on presumption."


"Yet sickness and infirmity are a part of life: no one can escape them at last. All people, including the most famous faith healers, get sick and all eventually die. Kathryn Kuhlman, the famous faith healer, died early in 1976. For years she had suffered from a heart condition, and late in 1975 underwent open heart surgery from which she never recovered. People were healed under her ministry. She was not. Sickness brought death to her at last."


"I know the Lord has used physicians and medicine to cure illnesses I have suffered. Furthermore, we must be open to the idea that it may not be the will of God for us to be cured of all our infirmities, something true of the apostle Paul (see 2 Cor. 12: 7-10). I think Christians should therefore use God-given wisdom to determine whether they should seek the use of natural means or rely solely on prayer or those with the genuine gift of healing."

Taken from Billy Graham's 'The Holy Spirit"