What Do You Do When Your World Feels Like It Is Falling Apart?
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Have you ever been in church and someone shares their testimony? They may tell of a difficult situation they were in and how they prayed and God delivered them. This testimony is supposed to encourage you, but have you ever felt, that’s great for them God, but what about me? Instead of rejoicing, you say to yourself, “I’m going through my own trial, and nothing is going right for me. When is my breakthrough coming?”
When you pray and give these things to God, you must leave them there. In fact, there should be an exchange. You give these things to him and he gives you his peace in return. This peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of calm during it.
There is a truth we must acknowledge that is tough to accept, especially in the middle of the trial. But there may be some prayers that God does not answer for you in this life. I cannot tell you why this happens, but it does. However, if you allow that to keep you angry or bitter, it will rob your joy and steal your peace. Ultimately, that will affect your relationship with the Lord. That’s why you cannot tie your joy or peace to how God answers your prayer. You must find your peace and joy in who God is because that will never change. When you don’t do that, then you become the person who praises God when everything goes well and curses God when it doesn’t.
One challenge we face as Christians is we live in two realities. We are eternal beings living in a temporary reality. It is easy to lose sight of our eternal nature, especially because of the pains we experience in this life. Regardless of how much they hurt, you must remember they are temporary. That’s why perspective is so important. Here is what Paul said.
Paul is not telling you to neglect what you see. Paul is reminding you to view it in light of eternity. In life, there will be moments where it is necessary to remember this world is not our home. When you think of your eternal home, it gives you motivation to stay the course in your temporary one. No matter how challenging it is, there will be one day when it passes away. That’s why in this same chapter a few verses earlier, Paul says this.
Often, the last thing people think about in the middle of a storm is how much God loves them. Many times, his love feels distant. After all, if he loved you, why would he allow you to go through this? It is so important to remember that what happens in the trial does not prove or disprove God’s love for you.
The proof of God’s love can always be seen in the cross. Christ died for you when you were a sinner and at your worst. This is the eternal proof of how much he loves you. When the pressure mounts and the walls feel like they are caving in, just know God loves you. That won’t be determined by how he responds in your temporary situation. That is determined because he changed your eternal destination.
I hope you realize I am not trying to make light of your hardships, because I know they are real. I have faced them in my life, and they are painful. However, when the pressures and realities of life hit, the temptation is to abandon the truth of what God has said and run from the things he has instructed you to do.
Don’t do that.
Don’t run away, but run towards the one who loved you enough to die for you. I can’t promise that will change your temporary situation. However, your temporary situation does not change the eternal love that God has for you either. This is a truth you can always lean into even when your world is falling apart.
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