Life is hard, every day. In the good and the bad, this rings true.
Some days, we make delicious memories that dance into our thoughts when we least expect them and create moments of joy for years to come. I thank God for those days because they are a respite for the difficult times. Sometimes, the good (and the bad) comes for a season. Many of us have learned to prepare, and we will be like Joseph when the Lord told him to store the grain for the impending famine. We look at the laughter of our family and soak it in so that we can play it back in our minds at a later time. We absorb the compliments we receive from others so that we can remind ourselves when we feel a little down. We invest in others, knowing there will be a time when those same people will be needed in our lives. Not everyone knows that heartache is coming so when it happens, they are ill-prepared. I believe that is where we come in.
I find that most of the time the tragedy we fear we will face rarely comes along. More likely, your hurt will come on some idle Tuesday when you least expect it and in a way that you never dreamed. The blow will take your breath and leave you shocked, unable to move or even think straight. I believe it is in that moment that we, as Christians, should swoop in and share with you our storehouse of joy and grace because it is not ours to keep.
When friends, family, or Sunday school members ask me to pray for them or a situation to which they are connected, they can count on me to do that. Because of my own difficulties, I have learned that prayer works. It can change everything. Most of my circle of people know this so they will talk to me about what is going on in their lives. At this particular moment, it feels as if the world is spinning out of control for many people I love. The toughest part comes from the realization that life did not follow the planned path. There's the death of a dream of what you thought it would be. Death always leads to darkness, and we often feel hopeless. We shouldn't, because Jesus is always right on time to offer hope.
Recently I heard a message by Max Lucado who spoke of the pain of Mary and Martha when Lazarus died. The death itself was tough, but the worst part was the fact that Jesus didn't show up in time-or so they thought. When He arrived Martha let him know how she felt. This was totally okay because He sees and understands our pain, but be prepared to feel silly when you see what He plans to do. If you let Him, He will totally show out. He said to Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” She decided, wisely I might add, to obey and rolled back the stone so that Jesus could call Lazarus back to life. This is what He does for us. Whether or not we want Him to, He calls to us and brings us out of the cave-fully alive and fully free. My favorite part of Lucado's message was when he asked if God answered the prayers of Mary and Martha. Truthfully, He did not. Instead, He answered a prayer so great that they hadn't even prayed it yet. He used the death of Lazarus and the pain of his friends to show God's glory.
That's good stuff...stuff I will put in the storehouse to share with my friends. When you are living somewhere between an offered prayer and an answered prayer, I can testify to the hope of Jesus. The prayer may not be answered right now. It may not even be answered how you'd like. However, it will be answered the right way if you are willing to give Him the opportunity.
