Hello, God? Are You There?

Posted March 23, 2007

A commentary by Sarah Gray

Have you ever wondered why God answers some prayers almost immediately (like finding a parking space), but other prayers about deeply important goals or issues sometimes seem forgotten?

Last year I moved to Fernie, a little town near the Canadian Rockies, so I could work on my skiing technique over the course of the winter season. Before moving, I prayed earnestly for God to bless me with a job on the ski hill so I could obtain a free lift pass and to help me find a house with Christian flatmates.

All flushed with excitement, I arrived in town in a swirl of feathery snowflakes. Then I spent the next six weeks trying to find a job. I handed out stacks of my resumes, and chased down employers who said "yes, you'd be perfect"—only to hear nothing more. I applied for so many jobs, yet found nothing! My funds were running out, and I ended up sharing housing with rather confrontational, atheistic flatmates! I thought that God for some reason had completely abandoned me.

Looking back, I still have no idea why I wasn't able to find work on the ski hill. There were numerous job openings for which I was qualified. It seemed that the "doors" weren't just closed—they were bolted shut!

But God most definitely did not ever abandon me. He eventually provided me a housekeeping job where observing the Sabbath wasn't a problem. (You can find out more about the Sabbath by downloading or requesting the free booklet Sunset to Sunset—God's Sabbath Rest. ) He also blessed me with a loving Church family only a few hours away with whom I could visit for spiritual encouragement.

It may sound like such an overreaction now, but at the time those "knock-backs" or unanswered prayers started to eat away at my faith. Subsequently my relationship with my Father began to deteriorate. Thankfully God, through His Word and His Spirit, helped lift me from the quagmire of doubt, insecurity and anger, and I reconnected with Him through a change in my mind-set.

A scripture leaped out at me one night and became my motto for my year of traveling overseas: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

First and foremost, we have to trust in the Lord. Okay, that sounds easy enough. Then it reminds us to not lean on our own understanding. Now that's the tricky part. Surely, we of all people know what we need—so why doesn't God just bless us with what we know we need?

But do we really know?

When nothing seems to be working out, when no doors seem to be opening and instead there seems to be silence—just wait! Be respectfully upfront and tell God if you are confused or feeling rejected. Explain to Him that these troubles are making it difficult for you to even talk to Him. This all-too-natural inclination—isolating ourselves from our Creator—only leads to more sadness.

God promises that if we seek Him, He will not forsake or leave us, and He rewards us when we believe in Him. Remember, when you're striving toward a goal or struggling through an issue, don't lean on yourself and your own ways of thinking—lean on God! VT