When God doesn't deliver, what do you do?

[nebula]

So let's say that you've been in situations all your life where you prayed for God to deliver, change things, etc., but deliverance or change never happens. Sometimes things only got worse.

So then you learn about how God is more interested in character development than your happiness and the like.

So you've come to accept that somewhere through the pain, the destruction, the devastations, that yes your heart and soul have been changed for the better.

So now you are going through circumstances that are leaving you hanging by threads, and you are wondering wondering how long before the threads break. But because of how God has always made you endure the circumstances rather than delivering you, you don't believe God's plan is to deliver you. And another thread just broke.

What do you do?

How do you cry out to God when you know crying for deliverance is pointless?

[Guest shiloh357]

2 hours ago, nebula said:

So let's say that you've been in situations all your life where you prayed for God to deliver, change things, etc., but deliverance or change never happens. Sometimes things only got worse.

So then you learn about how God is more interested in character development than your happiness and the like.

So you've come to accept that somewhere through the pain, the destruction, the devastations, that yes your heart and soul have been changed for the better.

So now you are going through circumstances that are leaving you hanging by threads, and you are wondering wondering how long before the threads break. But because of how God has always made you endure the circumstances rather than delivering you, you don't believe God's plan is to deliver you. And another thread just broke.

What do you do?

How do you cry out to God when you know crying for deliverance is pointless?

I think that we have to have the realization that as it says in Psalms 23, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."   God doesn't promise deliverance every time, but He does promise that He is with us and is walking with us through those trials and hard times.  He is closer  to us at those times.   That's when you learn the most about God; that's when you see that He is faithful.   A season of suffering is worth 20 years of Bible study.

God doesn't always give us the solution to suffering; rather, He gives us Himself and He suffers with us.   He feels what we feel.  The question is, will we remain faithful even in the middle of the pain and adversity of life?   Will we serve Him even to our own hurt, when everything seems to be working against us.

Paul suffered immensely during his ministry.  He had people trying to kill him.  He was stoned and left for dead, beaten, flogged, imprisoned, starved, naked, sitting in rat infested prisons with open sores from his beating, risking infection.   He had false apostles who were trying to tear up his ministry, spreading lies about him, I mean, here is a guy who had every reason to be angry or to question God's faithfulness, but not a hint of that in any of his letters.

I think it is important to not only draw from biblical examples like Paul, but also to look back at other hard times and see what God was doing at that time.  Sometimes, we don't always see God's hand in our current situation.  But we can look back at what the Lord brought us through.  It didn't destroy us then and it won't destroy us now.  It is suffering that our testimony is built.

[Churchmouse]

Edit

Edited January 11, 2017 by Churchmouse

[OneLight]

5 hours ago, nebula said:

So let's say that you've been in situations all your life where you prayed for God to deliver, change things, etc., but deliverance or change never happens. Sometimes things only got worse.

So then you learn about how God is more interested in character development than your happiness and the like.

So you've come to accept that somewhere through the pain, the destruction, the devastations, that yes your heart and soul have been changed for the better.

So now you are going through circumstances that are leaving you hanging by threads, and you are wondering wondering how long before the threads break. But because of how God has always made you endure the circumstances rather than delivering you, you don't believe God's plan is to deliver you. And another thread just broke.

What do you do?

How do you cry out to God when you know crying for deliverance is pointless?

This sounds like a result of me asking God to increase my faith and patience.   What do I do?  I take my eyes off the situation and give it all to God.  In His time, things will change, we will grow to be more like Him.  Why does God chose to deal with our issue sin such a way?  I am not sure, but I would much rather go through a life's worth of trials and tribulations trusting God then to take the reigns and tell God how to do His job.

[Churchmouse]

The way I pray is that I speak then I move on because I know that I am not the only one in the world that prays and what they are praying for might be apart of a solution that God has set up for me. Wh might be working on them to get prepare themselves to be able to help me out as I help them out. That might be how many of you found your mate and why it has lasted so long.

What we might prey for is something that in the long run would be detrimental to what God has in plan for us and we need to keep faith in God that it will all work out for the best.  If not, then our anxiety will push him from the drivers seat and what he has planned for you next year might take 5 years now or it might not come at all.

Faith is like being pregnant. You either are that or you are not and If you start loosing either of them you will loose out on a miracle.

[nebula]

13 minutes ago, Gary Lee said:

I wait...............expectantly.

Thank-you for your testimony.

Now what do you do if your expectation is that God is going to let you crash and burn? 

[Churchmouse]

3 minutes ago, nebula said:

Was that really necessary?

Really? Really?

No, it was a rant from a previous encounter here that I want to personally apologize to you and the rest of the board for. I have taken it down and i would wish that you would remove it from your quote.

[simplejeff]

8 hours ago, nebula said:

So then you learn about how God is more interested in character development than your happiness and the like.

 

While HE knows perfectly every thought and motive and everything about our lives, 

it is also written of the believers in the NT that they lived in union every day with Y'SHUA MESSIAH (JESUS CHRIST)

and that they were continually full of righteousness, peace, and joyousness(different than and better by far than happiness) .

 

See in the NT, all through the NT, what they did, how they lived,  why YHWH blessed them so.

 

[SimonB]

I guess you could also ask others to pray for you.

I think we [family] will need it too as we have a bit of a dilemma coming up.

I guess we live in a world driven by other forces and sometimes it is difficult.

[ravindran]

9 hours ago, nebula said:

So let's say that you've been in situations all your life where you prayed for God to deliver, change things, etc., but deliverance or change never happens. Sometimes things only got worse.

So then you learn about how God is more interested in character development than your happiness and the like.

So you've come to accept that somewhere through the pain, the destruction, the devastations, that yes your heart and soul have been changed for the better.

So now you are going through circumstances that are leaving you hanging by threads, and you are wondering wondering how long before the threads break. But because of how God has always made you endure the circumstances rather than delivering you, you don't believe God's plan is to deliver you. And another thread just broke.

What do you do?

How do you cry out to God when you know crying for deliverance is pointless?

I am not sure what situation you are going through. It does not sound like a philosophical question though. These are the times when Lord says "My grace is sufficient for you"

These are the times, you can be assured that Lord is right there with you. Because He is there with you, you can trust in His other promise that all things work out for good in life of a believer. Human knowledge is limited, so we may not understand "why" all the time

As a father of 2 little girls, I am starting to learn the love of our eternal Father much better. When the kids get sick and have to get some difficult treatment, I have to control my tears and wish it was me in their place and they were spared of this suffering. Human fathers can only wish. Our Lord Jesus came down from heaven to earth and did it for us. He went to the Cross and gave His life for us. He is suffering with you. He partakes in your suffering. Always remember that. The outcome may not be always what we want. But God has a plan and purpose. Trust in Him and never lose hope.

If you have time, you can read through this for a more intellectual response

http://rzim.org/just-thinking/if-god-why-suffering/

Edited January 11, 2017 by ravindran
Missed to put NOT