During hard times one finds it easy to cry out to God. During really hard times one finds it difficult to believe God loves them and is good. Maybe the purpose of the really hard times isn't to get us to simply cry out to God... maybe the point is to get us to have a deeper understanding that God is good and how he loves us. He is not some senile old grandfather who just wants everyone to have a good time. He is a father who wants his children to grow and learn how to have faith and persevere under the trials of life. So they can be successful and victorious against a real enemy who wants to destroy them. Learning that the pain was allowed for our good is a tough lesson... it is the lesson of the really hard times.
Eventually, the really hard times ease up. Do we continue to cry out to God and spend time pursuing him, or do we fall to pursuits of leasure? The enemy never takes a day off... His goal is to destroy us. When things seem easy, it may be that we are simply falling asleep as we listen to the Devil's lullaby. He's not attacking us, he's allowing us to let our guard down. Hoping we fall asleep at the wheel of life. Then we when aren't prepared... he attacks! hoping that we forgot the lessons of "God is always good." He hopes we turn against the living God and curse him for allowing hardships to fall on us again.
Such seems to be happening to my wife and I currently. Her health had improved consistently for three or more months in a row. Life really seemed to be getting back to normal. While I continued spending time with God... I admit I spent less time in prayer. I lost the sense of urgency. I lost the realization that life is a continual battle and that Satan does not give up trying to wreck our lives and drag us down. Unfortunately, Vanessa seemed to have struggled to find her momentum with God.
A few weeks ago, I started praying that God would draw us back into a close and intimate daily walk with him. I feared I was opening us to more adversity. It seems to be so. Vanessa has had a few really challenging days of health. But thanks be to God for holding us close. We had open eyes to see it as it really is... and attack. Satan wants us to decide God isn't faithful. Instead, we recognized the attack of the enemy was an effort to get us to buy into a lie. The truth, though difficult to feel... we knew to be true. God IS good, and he has good plans for us. We are safe to trust him... with the help of the Holy Spirit, we held on!
Why do we pursue time with God in prayer and in his word? Number one, it should be for love of God. But I think a viable reason number two would be from the realization that the evil one never takes a day off. He is always scheming and will execute his plans to get us to doubt the one true God. We must be prepared for battle.
Prayer: Father, Thank you for helping us defeat the enemy last night when health was poor... when doubts and fears started to creep in. Help us to have a sense of daily urgency in preparing to engage the enemy when we least expect it. Father, give us faith, hope, peace and joy. Father, last night I praised your name in the face of Vanessa's difficult night, I believed you are up to something good! I believe you are teaching us, training us, preparing us to stand strong in faith... to be warriors for your cause not just for our lives but in the future lives of our children. You are victorious! I praise your name in times of blessing and in times of hardship! Great are you! I praise you Father! Be glorified in our lives. Draw my wife in close to you and turn her into a true warrior and use her for your kingdom purpose. In Jesus name, Amen.