When We Think God Isn't Listening

A dear friend passed away this week from that terrible, nonsensical, and random jackal called Covid.  It could have been from anything – cancer, an accident, any diagnosis one can think of.  It doesn’t matter what it was.  The bottom line is that this dear, good, kind-hearted and anointed man of God is gone.  He had so much left to do.

We believe that God can do absolutely anything.  We know He can.  And yet He chose to call our friend back to be with Him and not with us.  And I have to say, it hurts.  

We have all been here.  We wait on God.  We expect a miracle.  With everything in us we pray, we believe that it will happen.  Sometimes, it seems that He’s not listening. 

From around the world, people were praying, fasting, decreeing and declaring that a miracle would come, and he would be healed.  The truth is, miracles did come.  They were amazing, and not insignificant things that happened throughout his time of being ill.  They gave his family, and his many friends, hope that everything was turning around.  That he would fine.  That there would be an added testimony to his already extraordinary life. 

But it wasn’t to be.

How do we reconcile the gap between what we expect of God, and what we must accept as being His will?

It doesn’t matter what you are believing for.  It could be anything.  It could be a present need, or an old war wound that you got in the Battle of Life a long time ago.  It is always on your heart, always in your prayers, and you expect to witness God move and make it right.

He gives us so much that is beautiful, so much that is wonderful and enduring – all that makes life worth living.  But in everything, like roses, there are also thorns.  No life is perfect. We all have blessings and challenges mixed together.  We see our faith manifested in countless ways, but in these are also disappointments and hurts.

There is mystery in the Miraculous.  We don’t have the ability to predict how God is going to work things out.  We can only believe that He will.  

And He does.  It’s just not always in the way we want.

I was reminded recently how our babies are born to us, so fresh from Heaven, and their personalities are already evident.   You can look into a baby’s eyes and already know so much about their capacity to love and be kind.  God created them this way.  We can’t know or understand how God does it, but babies come to us already anointed in His gifts and purpose to fulfill in this life.

And so, when God takes back to Himself someone that we love, isn’t the mystery the same?  We are grieving but He is celebrating that our loved one is back with Him and no longer limited by their body.  Just as He sent them to us, they go Home the same way.  We just can’t fully understand it, but there’s a place for all of us to live out our purpose in Eternity too.

All the foolish, needless things we get bent out of shape about.  All the things we do that we think will somehow make our lives better, more exciting, more fun – we burn bridges and get offended and hurt other people because we think we are justified to do whatever our egos tell us we can do.  

We have it backwards. 

It really is a matter of life and death.  There is a purpose on both sides of the equation.  What matters is that we take the million or so moments that we have on this earth to love, to forgive, to honor and appreciate each other, and to reflect Him in all that we do. 

We think God can’t see us, that He’s not listening… But He always is.

I don’t really believe that we are intended to rest in peace when we go back to God.  I think that our real work is not ending but beginning.  We are not meant to understand the how and why.  But when we return to Him, I believe He’ll let us know.

Make the most of every day.  He is always with you. 

You are loved even when things happen that we prayed would turn out differently.

Keep the faith and carry on.