You Matter
Have you ever wondered why it seems easier to believe for someone else than it is for yourself? It’s a common thing to us all. We somehow think other people are more worthy of answered prayer. But, the truth is we must have faith to believe God wants the best for us too.
When I wrote the entry about Sarah esteeming God as faithful, I knew there was so much more to say. I come from a home where my dad was angry and unpredictable. When we grow up not having a dad we can learn from and trust, it makes it harder for us to see The Father as anything different. Years of studying and pressing into the Lord have healed my heart where that is concerned. But, it’s one thing to know about God and His trustworthiness, and an entirely different thing to know the Father as your very own good Father.
We can sing the songs about Him being good, but unless we allow the Lord to heal the hurts in our hearts we will always go back to doubting that truth. Through over thirty years of working with people, I’ve heard almost everything you can imagine about how people relate to the Father. Hurt people usually have beliefs or strongholds they’ve built over the years to protect themselves. I’ve heard people say they’ve done their part but God hasn’t done His. I’ve listened when some have said this Christian thing just doesn’t work for them. There have been plenty of people, including me, that for many years blamed God for the wrong or bad in their lives.
Thank The Lord for His mercy and long-suffering toward us. When we allow Him to, He will take us and train us using the right people, to teach and show us who He really is. What’s so funny is He doesn’t owe us that, and yet when I accepted Jesus as my Savior I knew something in me had truly changed. But there was so much to undo in my beliefs. It wasn’t the religious stuff that messed with me, but it was the experiential hurts that had taken place. Religion can mold an incorrect picture of the Father, and so can life.
When I came to understand the relationship He desired to have with me, it was a more expedient work. The process has been long, but I went from anger and blaming, to doubt, to beginning to trust, to hope that I could trust, to learning how wonderful and good He is all of the time. And now to knowing He’s faithful, and esteeming Him as faithful to His promises.
If you’re struggling to believe He is good, start with this, Jesus came to show you the Father. (John 14:9&10) To see those prayers for yourself as well as for others answered, let this be an important thing. You are loved by the most amazing Father and you matter to Him.
