Closing the door on God

I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see His goodness to me here in the land of the living. Don’t be impatient. Wait for the Lord, and He will come and save you! Be brave, stouthearted, and courageous. Yes, wait and He will help you. - Psalm 27:13-14 TLB

Until his death in 1902 Joseph Parker was the pastor of City Temple in London. When cancer struck his wife, he watched her die a slow and agonizing death. There was nothing doctors could do to alleviate her suffering. Physically and emotionally exhausted, Parker almost lapsed into atheism after her death. He said that if he had a dog that had so suffered he would have put the animal out of its misery to spare it.

In similar circumstances, some – like Parker – will doubt what they know to be true when difficulties confront them. In the book of Job, men blamed God for what Satan had done. They lost sight of the goodness of God.

So what do you do when you suffer spiritual amnesia?

First, be careful with what you say about God. Get encouragement from the right sources – friends who will listen to you and empathize with you but will not let you walk away from the truth. Thank God if you have friends who love you enough to tell you when you’re doing wrong.

Second, be absolutely honest with God. A dad, grieving over the loss of his four-year-old son, sat at the boy’s memorial service and muttered under his breath, “God, I’ll get even with You if it’s the last thing I ever do.” Coming to his senses, he recognized his foolishness. “How could I get even with God?” he wondered. Then his tears began to flow.

Don’t believe your doubts or doubt your beliefs. God knows and understands. He will heal your broken heart. Be patient.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.  We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.