Lord, How Many Times Do I Have To Ask YOU for This? 2 Corinthians 12:7b-8 Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. Greetings! BlogFam, have you ever asked the Lord for something over and over? I mean you have prayed and you might have even fasted. You have been faithful to do all that you know to do. You have found Scriptures to decree and declare the thing to be so and have been reading or reciting those verses as your confessions of faith. And after doing all of that, the time continues to pass and still nothing... no relief, no change, no turnaround, nothing. And you begin to wonder, what MORE must I do to be saved from this? Lord, how many times do I have to ask you to do something about THIS? Well, my friends, you are NOT alone. You are NOT the only person wo has prayed for the same thing over and over and over again only to feel the silence of the Lord. And the truth is that it does not feel good, especially when you think that the removal of whatever it is you have been praying for would make you feel better emotionally, financially, socially, or perhaps even spiritually. I have been there. And to be very honest with you, I think I might still be there. I know what it feels like to hold on until my change comes. I know how it feels to go up the rough side of the mountain. I am well acquainted with waiting on the Lord to see what the end will be. I know what it means to come to the intersection of fear and faith and just stand there wondering - Lord, how many times do I have to ask you for THIS... whatever my THIS is in that moment? I can only imagine that Paul knew how we all felt. I look at these 2 verses for today and I am confident that he too was tired of asking the Lord for the same thing over and over and over again, only to be told an answer he probably did not want to hear. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. BlogFam, I had to stop one verse before the Lords response because I waned us to sit with Paul for a moment. As much as Paul was able to acomplish because of his LOVE for God and passion for the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ, Paul had an "ISSUE," a "THORN" that he could not get rid of. And like so many of us, he prayed over and over and over again for the Lord to take it away and nothing seemed to happen in response to his prayers. Lord, How Many Times Do I Have To Ask YOU for This? I am sure Paul asked this question just as we do in our own lives. And it is OK to ask the question especially addressing it to the one who would know the answer. I think we underestimate our God's abillity to handle the questions we have about the people, things, cares and concerns in our lives. Questions do not necessarily indicate the presence of doubt or fear. Our questions can lead us to faith and to purpose. So, questions can be good. I have certainly asked the Lord, my share of questions and by FAITH, I have had to accept and/or wait indefinitely on whatever the Lord's response was to me. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. And the truth is that with every challenge in our llives, thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, or some other kind of issue, distraction, or complication, we want ANSWERS! We want to know why and what will it take for THIS to be gone. So we pray and like Paul, we ask God to take THIS away. Then, we ask again. And we might have to ask a third time...maybe more than that until the Lord gives us the answer we NEED regardless of whether we agree with it or not. But the gift of GRACE in the midst of our enduring and our asking is that God knows and God cares and in God's own way and in God's own time, God will move or speak, relieve or heal. I cannot answer your question. Lord, How Many Times Do I Have To Ask YOU for This? But I can say that I know that God can and whatever your THIS is, God has it all under control. Weeping may endure for a night BUT JOY will come in the morning... GOD LOVES YOU and I DO TOO! Delesslyn FOLLOW Me on Twitter @AudraSunshine & @SpiritedConcept |
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Categories#100PoundsOfExcuses#FREEFlowFriday #iThrive #LentInAugust #TheAffirmation #TheSHIFT 2012 End of Year Reflections 3:17 40 Days of Fasting A NEW DAY!!! 8-1-2012 A Proverb A Day Keeps the Foolishness At Bay AFTER He Rose! Best Practices COPYRIGHT - Permissions Policy Cover Up! CROSS-Eyed Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. Disciples Dos and Don'ts G.R.A.C.E. GAIN SOME WAIT!!! GET A CLUE...About Me HOME is Where YOUR Heart Is HOPE & HEALING HOPE! INTRODUCTION Isaiah Reflections John 3 MY VISION FAST NEW YEAR, NEW LOVE NOT SO RANDOM THOUGHTS ONE WORD REST. Period. Saying Goodbye Starting Over Starting Fresh STEP OUT OF THE BOAT - Matthew 14 The EIGHTH Day The EIGHTH Day 2 The Good Samaritan The KEY of LOVE The Living Room Christian Fellowship The POWER to be PERFECT! The Prayer Bridge Things We Left On the Mountain! VISION Wholesome Habits of Healthy Disciples WWJD = What Would JUSTICE Do? |
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