Feelings of disillusionment left unattended start to seem like facts about God when our circumstances don’t turn like we believed they would. . . . But then . . . I learned God loves us too much to answer our prayers at any other time than the right time.”- Lysa TerKeurst
As Lysa TerKeurst moves on in Chapter 10 of Forgiving What You Can’t Forget, she states that in the midst of her devastation, she struggled to see hope beyond the obvious. In fact, Lysa just kept thinking the least God could do was tell her which direction to point her hope in.
Above all, Lysa felt she worked so hard to keep her heart in a good place. A place of forgiveness and hope. So hard that she came close to deciding the easy way out = letting the bitterness take full possession of her heart. Her hoped-for payoff of forgiveness seemingly failed to materialize.
Hence, this angst brought all sorts of questions to the surface. Lysa describes her turmoil:
“But what do I do when the pain is emotional and seemingly never-ending? Who in the world do we process these kinds of feelings with? And what do you do when you need Him but trusting Him feels impossibly risky? It’s not just your feelings about Him that seem shaky. Your biggest concern is, what does this unanswered prayer for this unending pain say about His feelings toward you?”
Back in 2015, the New York Times published an article called ‘Googling for God.’ The number three question people asked slammed into Lysa’s heart. Because people asked: “Why does God hate me?”
Most significantly, Lysa observes, that question about God shows just how dark our perspective can turn. Therefore, Lysa contends, the most devastating spiritual crisis doesn’t center on wondering why God isn’t doing something. Rather, it’s when we’re utterly convinced God no longer cares.
As Lysa concludes, “What makes faith fall apart isn’t doubt. It’s becoming too certain of the wrong things.”
Today’s question: What ‘facts’ about God started as feelings of disillusionment left unattended? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Stabbing question or reassuring fact?”
