There have been times in my life that things just don’t go the way I expect, or something I prayed for is not answered by God in the manner I desired. I discovered this very early in my Christian life, when a group of young women from my church and I prayed for an older woman who was in a convalescent hospital. We prayed to God for healing. Ultimately, God did not heal her. We had the faith. We believed that he could, but he did not. She died.

Something unexpected also happened to King David in 1 Samuel 30. David and his men had left Ziglag to go fight against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. During this battle, they killed every man and woman. He and his men also took away all of their sheep and oxen, etc. (1 Samuel 27:5-12)

When David and his men returned home to Ziglag, they found that the Amalekites, in retaliation had burned the city and taken their wives, daughters and all who were left, as captives. David and the men who were with him cried out in anguish, and wept until they had no strength. Then David’s men were so mad at David that they wanted to stone him to death because they lost their loved ones. This was the weight on David’s shoulders. What was his response? 1 Samuel 30:6c states:

⁶ And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

What was David’s response? David went to the Lord. He asked God for direction. 1 Samuel 30:8

Going to God in prayer is one of our greatest privileges. There is nothing that we need to hold back from God. All you have to do is read through the psalms to see how David and others poured out their frustrations, their hearts to God.

This teaches me that it is okay to be honest with God about my feelings. It is one of the first things that I do. If it is a hard thing to swallow, I tell him. I tell him that I don’t understand why. I tell him that I am hurt or disappointed. I don’t ever remember being angry at God, but if I was, he could handle it. He understands how frail we are. At least one time in my life, I prayed an imprecatory prayer, which is a “God get them for me” prayer.

Secondly, I remind myself of just who God is. I remind myself that he is sovereign, and that he rules and reigns over all. I remind myself that if it comes to me he either ordained it, or allowed it to bring about his purpose in me, and because I know, when I reaffirm the things I know about God, I am comforted.

Thirdly, I listen to music that affirm the goodness, the faithfulness, and sovereignty of God. Although, I know these things, I need to remind myself of these things when I am at my most frail state because the enemy, the devil, would like to use the circumstances, the trials in my life to deter me from trusting God’s promises.

Knowing that God’s ultimate purpose in me is to shape me, conform me to look more like his Son, Jesus Christ requires me to trust his process. He knows what it will take for me and will be with me through all of it. Many of us are familiar with Romans 8:28, but there is more that follows.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

³⁰ Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

The promise that every single thing will work out for good is only for those who are called out by God to be his chosen possession. His chosen possession that will show forth his praises, but to get us there, God will use trials, and difficulties in our lives to make us through those trials to become more like him.

How do you encourage yourself? How do you pick yourself up when you’re down?

An old children’s song came up on my feed, yesterday: He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands, and singing that my sisters, and brothers, gives me comfort and encourages me.